


A to Z Supernatural Creatures

by ncsupnatfan



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Drama, Family, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Supernatural Elements, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:21:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 187,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22387849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncsupnatfan/pseuds/ncsupnatfan
Summary: Come join me on a journey of supernatural creatures from A to Z. Each letter is a stand alone chapter/one shot and is not linked to another. They take place at different times and ages in the brother's lives. There are old and new characters appearing in some stories.
Comments: 68
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I have created a collection of stories I hope you will enjoy. As I said in the summary, each chapter is a one-shot story that stands alone. They do not need to be read in any order. Of course, we will start with A and work our way down to Z. We are going to explore a huge variety of supernatural creatures. I have tried to find some that we have not heard about before. There are a few letters that I have divided the story into two parts because of the length that it ended up being. I will note that at the beginning of the chapter and the second part will be up the next day so there will be no lag. This project, including the research, took over four months to finish. I do love comments and to know your thoughts on my creations. NC**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural and the stories are my own creation. Any mistakes are my own.**

* * *

**A**

“What have you got?” Dean asked as he sat a bag of food and a carton holding drinks down on the table.

Sam was checking out websites for possible cases and looked up at him for a moment before answering. “A small town south of here has had a rash of unusual deaths over the past month and no one can decide what is killing them.”

“You think it’s our thing?”

“Not sure, I’d need to see the bodies and police reports.”

“So, after we eat, get a good night’s sleep, let’s go check it out.”

“Might as well, I’m not finding anything else out there right now. It’s almost as if monsters are lying low for some reason.”

“What would make them do that? You think there’s some big bad out there scaring them off?”

Sam pulled the container of food his way and pulled a drink from the cardboard container. He didn’t reply to his brother’s comment since that was exactly what he thought. Something was building but he didn’t know what or how to find out. He forked a bite of food and absently began to chew it without tasting it. His mind was elsewhere and didn’t hear Dean talking to him.

Dean stopped in midsentence when he saw the glazed look in his brother’s eyes and knew he wasn’t listening to him again. Sam had started doing this more often now and he wasn’t sure why. It was like Sam got lost in his head and nothing around him is important. He watched him automatically eating his food and was happy for that. They had both been through a lot recently and were trying to piece their lives back together again and their shaky relationship. He looked up from his burger when Sam finally spoke.

“Did you say something?” he asked with uncertainty looking over at Dean.

“No Sammy, we’ll go check out the deaths. We’ll head out early in the morning.”

“Fine with me,” Sam said. He picked up his trash and tossed it away before getting up to use the bathroom and get ready for bed. It was still early, but Sam decided to turn in which was an easy way to avoid Dean for the night. He didn’t feel like talking, and it wouldn’t hurt to try and get some extra sleep since his had been troubled lately. He did his routine and brushed his teeth before heading back into the other room. “I’m heading on to bed,” Sam told Dean when he came back out.

“Alright, I’m going to watch a little television before turning in.”

“Nite.”

“Wake me if you’re up first, so we can head out early.”

“I will.” Sam turned back the covers and slipped under them. He turned away from Dean and listened as he turned on the television and lowered the volume so not to disturb him. Sam heard Dean settling on his bed and then the only sound filling the motel room was the soft voices from the television. It wasn’t long before Sam drifted to sleep, and he slept soundly for most of the night until the early hours of the morning.

The scream died in his throat as Sam sprang up in bed and frantically looked around as he worked on slowing his breathing and racing heart. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and could barely make Dean out as he turned over in his bed. He was lucky he hadn’t woken him and would have to explain his actions. He glanced at the clock to see it was too early to wake him up to head out.

He laid back down and wiped his sweaty face on the sheet as he tried to remember what had frightened him, but all he could remember was running through a forest and something was chasing him. Giving up on sleep, Sam quietly got up and gathered clothes to take a shower. Even though he slept, Sam still felt tired and hoped the shower would help. When he came out, Dean was stirring and looked over at him.

“You’re up early,” he said. He sat up on the side of the bed and stretched and yawned widely before getting up to head for the now free bathroom.

“You wanted to leave early,” Sam shrugged as he stuffed his sleep clothes into his duffle and gathered his other things to pack. He didn’t want to tell Dean about the nightmares that had been plaguing him thinking he had enough on his mind without worrying about him.

Dean knew his brother and that something wasn’t being said, but let it drop. It seemed there was a canyon growing between them and knew part of the blame was on him, but not all of it. He did his business and gathered his bathroom things, tossing them in his small bag.

When he came out, Dean saw Sam was ready to go with his bags sitting on the bed beside him. He didn’t say anything as he gathered the clothes laying in a chair and stuffed them into his duffle. He gave the place a final once over before picking up his things and heading for the door. He heard Sam grunt as he got up and followed him out.

The Impala was waiting on them in the parking lot covered in a layer of dew that glistened when the rays of sun hit it. Dean unlocked the trunk so they could store their bags and went to the driver’s door to unlock it. He dropped into the seat and reached across to unlock the passenger door. When Sam was settled, he cranked his Baby and listened to her roar to life as he caressed the steering wheel and listened to the engine settle into a loud purr. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the main road to pick up the interstate south toward the town Sam had found online.

**spn**

It was after lunch when Dean pulled into the town limits of the Berryville, Arkansas. It looked like all the other no name towns they had worked cases in over the years. Dean stopped at a gas station so they could change into their suits to pull off their FBI ruse. The brothers had pretended to be FBI, Texas Rangers, Wildlife Officials, CIA, priest, counselors, or anything else that would get them the information they needed.

Sam was becoming a pro at hacking into data bases and getting pertinent intel for their cases. Dean accused him of having a computer for a brain. He was also the better interrogator of the two. He could give them one of his best puppy dog looks that would put the person at ease and willing to tell him anything. Sam was the logical one of the two. He wanted to look at all aspects of a situation before deciding on a course of action.

Dean was the muscles of the two and the planner. He could work his way through any situation and come out with the outcome he wanted. He could quickly devise a plan and get them out of the worse circumstances that came along. He was a quick thinker and fast on the draw. Some might say he was a hot head and had a quick temper, but he was the one you wanted to back you up if things went south.

The brothers balanced each other and kept the other grounded. There was a special bond between them that wavered at times but had never been completely broken. They had always been close growing up and could communicate without spoken words. Hunting as a team became easy for them, and those that knew them thought of them as the best hunters out there.

Dean pulled into a visitor’s parking space in front of the small sheriff’s office. They got out straightening their jackets and being sure they had the right badges before going in the front doors. Sam was slightly behind Dean and let him do the talking.

“May I help you?” a deputy asked when they approached his desk.

“FBI, Agent Steel and Ness,” Dean said holding out his badge for inspection. “We’d like to talk to the officer in charge of the recent deaths you’ve had around here.”

After looking at their badges, the deputy got on the phone and talked softly to someone. He looked back at them before speaking, “Sheriff Clark will be out shortly, you can have a seat over there.”

“Thank you,” Sam nodded and moved to the plastic chairs lined up along the wall. He sat down by Dean and let his eyes wander around the room taking in flyers, posters and wanted posters hanging in a glass case. He glanced at the faces and then did a double take when one that had been partly covered caught his attention. He punched Dean in the side and nodded toward the case to alert him.

Dean frowned at the poke in the side and looked at Sam’s face and then the way he nodded. He squinted slightly and blinked quickly letting his eyes adjust before he saw what Sam was trying to get him to see. There among the wanted posters was one with Dean’s face on it. You could only see a portion of it, and it was an old mug shot but still it wouldn’t take much to match it to Dean. His pulse quickened but he held it together when a middle-aged man stepped through a door in the back of the room.

“Agents, Sheriff Clark,” he introduced himself holding out his hand.

“Agent Steel,” Dean greeted him. “My partner, Agent Ness.”

“Sheriff,” Sam greeted shaking his hand.

“If you follow me, we can talk in my office.”

Dean and Sam followed the sheriff past the front desk and through a door that separated offices and integration rooms from the other part of the building. He led them down a small hall and to a corner office. Clark took a seat behind a desk and motioned for them to sit in the two chairs in front of it. They took a seat and waited for the sheriff to start.

“So, what can we do for the FBI?”

“We’re looking into the recent deaths that you’ve had lately,” Dean started.

“I don’t remember contacting the FBI for help; how did you hear about it?”

“Well, we don’t question where our bosses send us. We just go,” Dean replied. “Have you had any luck identifying a suspect yet?”

“Our best guess is some kind of animal attack. We’ve got people looking into it.”

“Don’t guess you’ll mind us checking it out then, since we’re here. Maybe we can help.”

“Could we get a copy of the police reports and we’d like to see the bodies,” Sam offered in his sincere, nonthreatening voice.

“Sure, give me a moment and I’ll have a deputy make copies for you. The bodies are at the morgue in the hospital basement.” He picked up his phone and buzzed the front desk speaking to the deputy. “Agents, you can wait at the front for the files. If you do run across anything, _you will_ let us know.”

“Of course, Sheriff,” Dean said standing and waiting for the sheriff to lead them back to the front.

Sam stopped by the deputy’s desk and spoke quietly to him before stepping back and taking a seat again. He wasn’t going to breath easy until they were out of here and through with this case. All it would take is someone recognizing Dean to turn their lives upside down. They’d have to lay low for a while until things died down and he was forgotten again. He knew the poster was old and hoped Dean had been forgotten.

“Agent,” the deputy called to him to get his attention. “Here’s the files you asked for.” He held out a flash drive for him and Sam nodded his thanks before taking it.

“Which way to the hospital?” Dean asked as they got up to leave.

“Get back on the street out front and go through three stop lights and turn right. You’ll see signs for the hospital. It’s up on a hill about a mile down that road.”

“Thanks,” Dean nodded and headed out the door with Sam close behind. He followed the directions to the hospital and pulled around to the back where the morgue entrance usually was.

They got out of the car and followed the signs inside to the morgue. The smell was the first thing that hit them along with the chill in the air. A tech looked up from his paperwork when he noticed them and came over to see what they needed.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“FBI, we’d like to see the bodies of the latest deaths that have come in,” Dean told him flashing his badge at him.

“And could we get the autopsy reports on them too?” Sam added before he turned away.

“Alright, here’s the victims,” he replied. The tech pulled out four drawers for them and stepped away. “I’ll get those reports for you.”

Dean took the first body and pulled down the sheet, grimacing when he saw the chest had been ripped open and practically shredded. Sam pulled his cell out to snap some photos as Dean moved to the next one. The injuries were almost identical except the shredding extended down to his thighs. The other two bodies were in the same shape. Dean could see claw marks in several places. He was sure this was no human attack, but he didn’t think it was a regular animal attack either. Something supernatural had torn these victims to pieces.

“This was no animal attack,” Sam mumbled under his breath.

“Here you go, the reports,” the tech said. He handed Sam a folder with papers in it and when back to his paperwork.

Dean pushed the drawers back in knowing they had seen all they could here and needed to move on. They would head back to the motel and start processing everything they had gathered. He wanted to see where the bodies were found and if there were any witnesses to any of the attacks.

“Not a werewolf, wrong time of month and they wouldn’t rip the bodies up like that,” Sam said. “They go after the hearts only, maybe livers.”

“Vampire wouldn’t either, they’d want the blood, not waste it.”

“I’ll go through Dad’s journal when we get back and try to narrow down our search.”

“I’ll map out the kill sites and see if any of them have anything in common and if there’s any links with the victims.”

“Should we grab some food before going back to the motel? That way we won’t need to go back out.”

“Yeah, probably a good idea, we can stop at that diner near the motel for takeout.”

**spn**

Dean was reading the police reports and Sam was looking through their Dad’s journal and making notes. He brought up the next report and rubbed his tired eyes as he tried to focus on the computer screen. His eyes were tired, and he was seeing double and decided to take a quick break.

“I’m going to get a soda, want anything?” Dean asked getting up from the table.

“Water would be good.”

“Water it is.” Dean headed out the door and around to the vending machines to see what choices he had. He dug some change from his pocket and fed the machine and chose a water and then a soda. He walked back around toward their room but paused to look out across the lot watching the sun slowly disappear behind the trees as the light began to fade. He watched for a while longer before unlocking the door and going back inside. “Here you go.” Dean sat the water by Sam’s elbow and dropped back down into the chair next to him. He opened the bottle of soda and took a long swallow before waking up the laptop to continuing going over the reports.

“I think I found something,” Dean said sitting up straighter as he went back over what he had just read. “One of the victims was on the phone with his girlfriend and said something about hearing a child crying for help and needed to go. He didn’t call back and she couldn’t reach him. The coroner reports that he was killed around that time.”

“You think something lured him away and then killed him?”

“What can mimic a person?”

“Wendigo, but it wouldn’t leave the bodies like that.”

“I know, what else could it be?”

“Let me do some digging,” Sam said pulling his laptop closer and opening a search engine to make the inquiries. He typed quickly and set up a search with specific words to see what it would bring up. He hit enter and waited as the program did its thing. He opened his water and sipped on it while drumming his fingers on the table.

“I’ve mapped out the kill sites and they seemed clustered around this general area, so that gives us a place to start,” Dean offered pushing the map Sam’s way.

Sam took his eyes off the screen to look at it and ran a finger over each X as his brain worked on the problem. “Are we going to check them out in the morning?”

“Figured it would be the next step. Locals are warning people away from the area for now, so hopefully there won’t be anymore deaths before we can take whatever it is out.”

“It looks like it likes to kill at dust or at dawn,” Sam commented looking at the autopsy reports.

“Yeah, I saw that. That gives us a window to try and trap it and kill it.”

“Okay, well, there’s a list of supernatural creatures here that could possibility be the killer,” Sam sighed as he scrolled down the names. “Guess we’ll need to narrow it down.”

“How ‘bout we do that tomorrow? I for one am calling it a night,” Dean groaned stretching and getting up to find some sleep clothes.

“Yeah, maybe we’ll be lucky and get the case wrapped up tomorrow.”

“Don’t jinx us dude! When are we ever that lucky?”

“It was just a thought.”

**spn**

The Impala rolled slowly to a stop at the beginning of one of the trailheads for some hiking trails. Dean parked and got out and looked around. It was quiet and there were no other vehicles around. It looked like the people were listening to the sheriff department about not hiking in that area until the wild animal was found. He went to the trunk and handed Sam a machete, silver knife and he checked the load on a sawed-off shotgun and pocketed a couple more shells loaded with rock salt. Both their guns were loaded with silver bullets and he had some holy water in a flask. He didn’t know what they might run across but wanted to be prepared.

“From the police report, the hiker was attacked about a mile up that trail,” Sam read looking at the trail before heading in that direction.

Dean took several long strides and got in front of Sam before slowing down. He didn’t see the bitch face Sam gave him as he moved to walk abreast with him. He knew this was something Dean couldn’t stop doing, trying to keep him out of harms way, but he got tired of being protected. He was an adult and knew how to take care of himself in a fight. He just wished Dean would see that. He had to let him grow up sometime. He kept his thoughts to himself because he didn’t want to add fuel to the fire right now.

It didn’t take them long to reach the area and spotted the police tape tied to trees where the body was found. They approached it slowly looking around for any signs that the monster might be near. Dean stepped off the trail a short distance and found the place the body had been attacked. The ground was still covered in blood and so were the bushes nearby. Whoever attacked the victim was vicious and wild. He looked up and scanned the area around them letting his hyper senses search, trying to pick up what the locals missed.

“Something lured him off the trail,” Sam mumbled more to himself than Dean. “What would make a hiker leave the trail?”

“Someone calling for help,” Dean supplied.

“Yeah, you know one of the monsters that came up on the search was one that would turn into a young girl and lure her victims to her by calling for help.”

“That would fit with the girlfriend’s account about her boyfriend hearing a kid calling for help.”

They both turned quickly when twigs broke behind them and searched through the trees trying to see what it was. Dean relaxed when a young doe ran into the brush.

“Relax it was only Bambi,” he said lowering his gun.

“You know Bambi was a male deer, right?”

“Who cares,” Dean shrugged heading back to the trail. He didn’t think they were going to find anything else here to help them. “Let’s head back and look at that list again and narrow it down. Then, we come back out here and set a trap.”

“Alright, we need to be sure we have what we need to kill it.”

It didn’t take them long to hike back to the car and drive back to the motel. Sam pulled up the list that had complied from his query and started marking off the ones that really didn’t fit what they knew. He paused for a moment in thought and looked up at Dean.

“Have you heard of an Acheri, Dean?”

Dean stopped what he was doing and frowned as he quickly went through his mind trying to pull up any information. “Don’t think so, what have you got?”

“It’s a type of demon that materializes its own form without needing a vessel. Other places say it’s a ghost or spirit of little girl,” Sam read. “It can be invisible, is stronger than humans, fast, and will shapeshift to reveal its true form when about to kill. It disguises itself as a little girl to lure prey in either to murder or abuse and leave to die. It’s vicious and likes to rip its victims to pieces with its clawed fingers.”

“I think you found our monster Sammy,” Dean said. “What we saw of the victim’s injures, they were brutally slain. So how do we kill it?”

“It says its weakness is salt and iron. If it’s a demon we could exorcise it and send it back to Hell.”

“You think that’ll work?”

“We really don’t have much else to go on. There’s no bones to salt and burn and we can’t paint a devil’s trap in the forest, so we need another way to hold it to exorcise it.”

“Salt and iron,” Dean mumbled as he paced the room while he thought about what they knew and what they needed. “So, when it attacks it becomes corporal, and that’s when we need to strike.”

“Yep, pretty much. What are you thinking?”

“Is there a hardware store nearby?”

“Let me look,” Sam replied typing on his laptop. “There a Lowe’s a few blocks away.”

“We need to do a supply run.”

“What are we getting?”

“Rope, a bucket, gloves, and rock salt.”

“Ummm…What are we doing with that?”

“Mix some saltwater and soak the rope it the water. Also, coat the rope with rock salt. I’m hoping that will hold it long enough for you to do your thing.”

“You’re going to be bait, aren’t you?” Sam accused him in a hard voice.

“One of has to and you’re better at Latin than I am,” he shrugged. “You coming or are you going to sit here brooding?”

“I’m coming,” Sam grunted getting up to grab his jacket as he mulled over what Dean was planning on doing. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like Dean taking these stupid chances and hoped that he didn’t get hurt. He dropped into the passenger seat with a pout on his face as his mind turned over other options to trap the Acheri without Dean needing to be bait.

**spn**

“You know what to do Sammy?” Dean asked as they got out of the car to stake out where they thought the Acheri was going to strike next. Since the locals had been staying away, they figured it would be eager to go for a kill.

“Yes, and you know I don’t like it one bit. What if something goes wrong?”

“That’s a chance we’ve got to take. We can’t let this demon, ghost, whatever it is kill anyone else,” Dean told him. “We face something going wrong with each hunt we take. This is no different than any of the other hunts we’ve been on.”

“Promise me you won’t take any unnecessary risks Dean,” Sam begged his nerves frayed and on edge.

“Don’t worry so, I’ll be careful Sammy,” Dean told him knowing his brother was stressing more than he should. “Let’s get set up and find a good place for you to hide.”

Sam shouldered his backpack, as Dean did the same, following his brother knowing he couldn’t talk him out of this and hoped their plan worked. Dean pulled out a map of the trails and found where they were at and where he thought they needed to be. He took the lead and headed toward the location. Dean wanted them there before dusk and set up to be ready. When they got to the spot, Dean looked around the area he was staking out and decided where the best spot for Sam to hide in until he needed act.

“Dean, you’ve got to keep its attention so I can get the drop on it,” Sam told him.

“Yeah I get it. Just watch yourself Sammy, we can’t let it take both of us out.”

“We can’t let it take _either of us_ out,” Sam insisted with a snort. He knew how Dean could be in a hunt and wanted him to know he wasn’t fooling him.

“I’ll set up over there and you hide in there. And Sammy watch out for poison ivy and oak. Remember how allergic you are to it.”

“I know,” Sam replied looking around carefully before disappearing into the trees to get ready. He dropped his backpack and got out the gloves and salt coated rope from the pack. He got positioned to watch his brother as he set up a makeshift camp and turned on a portable radio for noise to attract the demon. The sun was sinking lower in the sky and darkness was starting to blanket the land.

Dean stirred the fire he had started and looked around listening for any sounds or noises that would signal the monster was nearby. He tried to act like a camper as he fed more wood into the small fire and took a seat on a log nearby. The sun was almost behind the tops of the trees when Dean heard the small cry coming from just off to the left. He listened closely as he stood sending a hand signal to Sam. The cry became louder this time.

“Hello!” Dean called into the trees looking into the darkness. He pulled a flashlight from his pack and shone it over the surrounding area. “Is anyone there?”

“Help me,” a child’s voice cried softly from the forest.

“Where are you kid?” Dean asked moving closer but not going into the trees. He wanted to lure the demon out where it would be easier for Sam to capture it. “Can you come to my voice?”

“Help me,” the child called out again, the voice weak and sounding hurt.

“Can you see my light? Come on kid, I’ll help you.” Dean squinted and stopped his light on a shape that was slowly slipping around the brush and trees toward him. A little girl that looked about five or six with long, blonde hair and dirty clothes continued to move toward him. “That’s it sweetie, you’re almost here. I have some food and water you can have, and we’ll get you to the sheriff’s office so they can find your parents.” He moved slowly backward trying to draw the child out.

“Help me,” she said again as Dean tracked her movements with the beam of the light.

“I will, just come to me,” Dean coaxed her smiling at her. He watched her pause and look around the area like she was checking to see if anyone else was around. “It’s just me kid. I won’t hurt you.”

The child leaned against a tree for a moment before stepping toward him to the edge of the trees. Dean couldn’t believe how much the monster looked like a young child, lost, dirty, and in need of help. He squatted down and pulled the salt-soaked gloves from his back pocket and slipped them on, trying to hide it.

It happened so fast all Dean had time to do was throw up his arm as he was knocked backward onto his back and felt a searing pain in his arm as he held it up in front of him but grabbed for the child that was now turning into a monster. She slashed out again catching him across his right side before he had her hands by the wrist holding on tightly so she couldn’t cause any more damage.

The Acheri screened in agony from his grip as the salt burned into its flesh. It tried to jerk away so it could finish the kill when Sam burst from the brush and looped the rope around her upper body pinning her arms to her side. He quickly wrapped it several times tightening it to hold the Acheri who fell over screaming and gnashing out trying to bite if it could. It kicked and screeched an unearthly scream as it struggled to get free.

Sam pulled the monster away from Dean who collapsed back onto the ground as Sam began to spout the exorcism in a strong, loud voice. It rolled off his tongue and he sprinkled holy water over the demon’s form as the last few words were said. The Acheri’s voice faded suddenly as it was absorbed into the ground leaving a scorched circle on the spot it had laid. Sam grabbed up the remaining rock salt and sprinkled it over the area to cleanse it. Once he was sure it was gone, he turned and dropped down beside his brother to see how badly he was injured.

“Let me see,” Sam coaxed as he tried to pull a bloodied hand from Dean’s side.

“I’m fine,” he hissed trying to push himself up with his good arm.

“No, you’re not. At least let me put a field dressing on it until we can get back to the motel and doctor it properly.”

“It’s just a scratch.”

“Scratches don’t bleed like that. Quit being so stubborn,” Sam grunted pulling out dressings and prying his hand from his side. He got his shirt and tee shirt out of the way and used the dropped light to check the damage. “It’s not too bad, but you might need a few stitches.” Sam pressed the dressing to his wounds and tied it tightly around his chest. He took another and put it around his arm before moving to toss some dirt on the fire and gather the two small packs. “C’mon, we need to get back to the motel so I can tend to those gashes. They need to be cleaned so they don’t get infected.”

“Fine,” Dean grunted allowing Sam to help him stand. He felt a little lightheaded but nothing life threatening. Dean didn’t complain when Sam shifted his good arm around his shoulder and got a firm grip on his jeans’ waist as they started the hike back to the car. He did okay until they were almost to the car and it felt like all his energy was drained from him. His legs wobbled, and if Sam hadn’t been holding him, he would have fallen.

“Just a little further, I can see the car,” Sam encouraged feeling Dean’s weight get heavier as he leaned more on him.

Sam got him in the passenger seat and hurried to the driver’s side. He cranked up the Impala and sped toward the motel, hoping Dean wouldn’t pass out on him before getting there. He was looking pale by the car’s interior light when he positioned him in the seat. Sam pressed harder on the gas willing Baby to go faster that Dean needed her. He felt a slight jolt of the car as the engine roared and carried them back to town.

“Let me get the door open and I’ll get you inside,” Sam said.

Dean looked around with bleary eyes and realized they were back at the motel. He opened the car door and used the door as leverage to hoist himself from the seat. His legs felt weak and unsteady as he tried to step toward the light spilling from the room.

“Damnit Dean! I said wait!” Sam fussed when he grabbed him as he fell toward the door. He got him inside and to his bed. “Have to get the first aid kit out of the car.”

Sam raced outside and dug around in the trunk for the kit before heading back inside. He sat it on the bed and went to the bathroom for towels and a wet cloth. He dug around in his brother’s duffle until he found a small bottle of whiskey, he knew Dean carried.

“Here, drink some,” Sam offered holding the bottle to Dean’s lips.

Dean took several swallows before letting his head fall back on the pillow. He could feel Sam working his coat and shirt off his body but couldn’t make himself help. His tee shirt was pulled over his head and he groaned when Sam took the field dressing off and doused his side with peroxide.

“Sorry, I need to clean it. Don’t need you getting an infection from the thing’s claws.” Sam used a towel to catch the overflow and waited until it stopped bubbling before wiping the gashes so he could see. “There’s a couple places that will need stitching.”

“Just do it,” Dean hissed through clenched teeth as the pain radiated through his body. He could feel Sam gently wiping the area and pinching the skin together so he could push the needle through his skin to make small, neat stitches.

Sam stitched the worst places together to stop the bleeding and could feel Dean’s body tremble under his fingers. He was quick and efficient since this wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last time he did it. He used butterfly bandages on the remaining claw wounds to hold them closed. After putting cream on the wounds, Sam positioned a pad and taped it in place. He moved to Dean’s arm and cleaned it so he could see if it needed stitching or if steri strips would be enough. They were deeper than the ones on his side and he readied sutures to stitch it too. Once it he was done, and a pad taped over the stitched area, he sat back and looked at Dean’s pinched face.

“I’ll get you some pain meds,” he said. Sam threw away the bloody gauze and threw the dirty towels in the bathroom. He found the meds and shook two pills out in Dean’s hand before holding a water bottle out to him.

Dean had his eyes slit open and could barely make out Sam’s form as he felt the pills being put in his hand. He raised his good hand to his mouth and accepted the water, letting Sam help him sit up to drink it. He let out a slow breath feeling a blanket being pulled over him but didn’t say anything. All he wanted to do was sleep and let his body heal. He didn’t hear Sam’s question as his mind shut down knowing he could rest now that the monster was gone.

Sam felt Dean’s forehead before using a damp cloth to clean his face and wipe the dried blood from his hands. He knew that was enough for now and headed into the bathroom to check how many towels they had clean. He slipped out and went to the office to get more so he could shower and to have clean ones for Dean to shower too. He knew if Dean was able, they would be heading out in the morning and probably go stay at Bobby’s until he was able to hunt again. He was going to make him take the time since he knew they both needed it.

After that, there would be another hunt out there and another monster to slay.   
  


**The End**

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This letter will have two parts because of the length. Part II will be post tomorrow. Some may wonder why I use creature instead of monster in my title and that is because not all supernatural creatures are monsters. Thank you to all who are taking this journey with me. I hope you will find each one shot entertaining and exciting. Any guesses to what the creature might be? There is a hint in this part. I do like reviews if you have a moment, please leave one. NC  
===============================================  
B

Part I

The small house they were renting didn’t have air conditioning but at least there were a couple of ceiling fans and a portable fan. The air was humid and hot as a lone thunderstorm made its way through the area. A black Impala pulled up the gravel road to stop beside the house and a teenager jumped out running for the porch as the rain beat down from the heavens. A crack of thunder rumbled in the distance, the storm moving closer as a young man got out and jogged to the porch. He stopped long enough to shake the water from his jacket and hair before entering the house. 

“Dean do we have any more bread?” Sam called from the small kitchen.

“Don’t know; look, I gotta head back into work for a few more hours. Will you be okay here alone?” Dean asked his younger brother.

“Dude! I’m almost fifteen, I can stay by myself,” Sam huffed coming from the kitchen with a plate that had celery and peanut butter and a couple slices of cheese. He sat a water on the end table and turned on the television in passing before settling on the old couch to watch one of the few channels they could pick up. 

“I’ll bring dinner home, any requests?”

“A salad with grilled chicken and maybe some fruit. Can you pick up a loaf of bread too?”

“You’re going to turn into a salad one of these days Sammy,” Dean sighed shaking his head sadly.

“I like them. They’re good for you,” Sam defended his choice.

“Stay inside and don’t let anyone in. Where’s your gun?”

“In the nightstand, you know I can’t take it to school.”

“Well, get it and keep it on you,” Dean insisted, using his big brother voice. “I mean it Sammy; you need to protect yourself. You have my number if you need me.”

“I know Dean, quit being a jerk.”

“You stop being a little bitch and I will. You know we have to be careful with Dad gone.” Dean looked over at his brother’s pouting face before heading out the door, locking it behind him. Sometimes his brother was a pain in the ass, and Dean wanted to smack some sense into to him, but he knew it was Sam being a teenager. Instead of going through the terrible twos, Sam was going through the terrible teens.

They were lucky to have stayed in this small town as long as they had. Their Dad was letting Sam finish the school year out before they were heading out again. He was on a hunt with another hunter and wasn’t sure when he would be back, so they got to stay a little longer. 

Dean had dropped out of school at sixteen to start hunting full time but had gotten his GED. He worked in town at the garage part time to have money for food and other needs while their Dad was gone. John wasn’t always helpful with money and Dean made sure they had enough for food even if he had to go hustle a pool game.

When their Mom had been killed by a demon when he was four, Dean had taken over raising six-month-old Sammy and became his protector, mother, father, friend and guardian. He made their father sign papers that would give him guardianship over Sam in case something happened to him when he hunted. 

Both brothers knew what was out there in the dark and Dean had started hunting with his father when he turned twelve and had been doing it ever since. Sam was yet to go on his first hunt and that was fine with Dean. He tried to keep that part of their lives away from his brother. Sam was more the bookworm and had showed his ability to research cases for them. He was a natural at it and Dean was more than happy to let him carry that load. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it, he just didn’t like sitting around with his nose it a book. He was more an action kind of guy and didn’t mind getting his hands dirty.

spn

Dean pulled the Impala up beside the garage and made a dash for the open bay where the owner was working on a car. He looked up and smiled seeing his best employee wiping the rain from his face.

“Hey Herb, how’s it going?” Dean asked.

“Not bad, got two new ones over there if you want to get started.”

“Let me change and I’ll look at them.”

“Thanks son,” Herb nodded watching Dean saunter toward the back to change. He liked the boy. Dean was a hard worker and had a special touch under the hood of a car. Give him a broken engine and he’d have it running in no time. Herb swore the boy had magical hands and an ear that could hear the slightest ping or unusual noise in a running engine. He was glad of the day he walked in and asked for a job. It was money well spent since he was able to double his output and word got around quickly giving him more business.

When Dean came out, he flipped on a radio that he usually played while he worked and turned to the first car looking at the paperwork before sticking his head under the hood. Dean was in his element right now and he couldn’t be happier. He was still a hunter at heart but to be elbow deep in an engine gave him a sort of peace that nothing else gave him.

spn

Sam had got all his homework done in his last period of school, so he chilled on the couch watching some talk show until he heard the rain slack and stop. It was stuffy in the house even with the fans going so he got up and went to the door. He paused with his hand on the lock hearing Dean’s voice in his head to stay inside.   
He went to the bedroom and got his gun, shoving it into the back of his jeans in the small of his back. Satisfied he was armed and could protect himself, Sam went back to the door and unlocked it to step out on the front porch. The air was fresh and clean smelling from the recent storm and the temperature had dropped a few degrees making it feel a little more comfortable.

He stepped from the porch and wandered down the driveway to the mailbox that was at the end of their long driveway. There were two other houses below the one they rented. One was empty with a For Rent sign, but he didn’t know anyone who would want to rent it with its shape. The place was rundown, in need of a paint job, shutters hanging by one hinge, overgrown shrubs and vines crept up one side of it and the yard was knee deep with weeds and grass. It had not been taken care of over the years. 

The other house an older woman lived in. He had seen her a couple of times when he took the bus home and walked by her house to his own. Her house was the total opposite of the other with the yard well kept and flowers blooming in the beds. The house was small and neat looking and inviting.

Since Dean worked near the school, most of the time he would take the bus to the garage and wait there until he got off work so they could go home. Sam checked the mailbox and found junk mail and a couple of bills with Dean’s name on them. John had let Dean put his name on the rent paperwork in case anything happened while he was on a hunt so Dean could take care of it. 

Sam looked in the other mailbox and removed the few envelopes to take to their neighbor so she wouldn’t have to walk down to get it. He was just like that, wanting to help others. He headed back up the road, slowing at the empty house and looking it over before hurrying on up the driveway. That place had given him the creeps ever since they had moved here but he didn’t know why. He always got an eerie feeling like something was off about the place but kept his thoughts to himself. 

He came abreast of the other house and stopped, looking around the lot before opening the small gate that led into her yard. Sam walked down the stone walkway and up onto the small porch. He knocked on the door and stepped back away from it when it was answered so the person couldn’t grab him. He looked up when the door was opened by the older woman he had seen in the yard working.

“Hello young man, can I help you?” she asked pushing open the screen door.

“I brought your mail,” Sam replied holding it out to her.

“My goodness, thank you for doing that. Sometimes I don’t get down there every day if my knees are aching too much. And the rain makes it worse,” she told him. “My name is Grace and who might you be?”

“Sam, I live up above you with my Dad and brother.”

“Oh yes, I’ve seen that black car your brother drives. That is one beauty and has been taken care of.”

“Yes ma’am. He loves that car.” 

“Can I offer you some lemonade and cookies?”

Sam stepped back knowing what he had been taught and trained to do. His eyes darted around not sure what to do.

“Why don’t I bag a few cookies you can take with you? I just took them from the oven so they’re still warm. I’ve not seen anyone refuse a fresh baked cookie,” she offered seeing the unsure look on his face not wanting to scare him. “Why don’t you wait right here, and I’ll get them.” She stepped back inside and closed the door partway.

Sam fidgeted from one foot to the other knowing he would get hell from his brother if he found out he stopped by to deliver her mail. It wasn’t but a few minutes before she stepped back out on the porch with a brown bag and offered it to Sam. At first Sam didn’t take it, but then reached for it. He stepped back out of her reach before saying anything.

“Thanks for the cookies ma’am,” Sam mumbled. “I should be going.”

“It was nice to meet you Sam and you can call me Grace. Stop by anytime to see me, I’m sure I might have a cookie or piece of pie or cake you can help me eat. I always make too much for just me. If you might like to earn a little money, I could use some help around the yard and in my garden. I’m finding I’m not as young as I used to be, and these old bones seemed to ache a lot more these days.”

“I’ll think about it, goodbye Grace.”

“You take care young man; I hope to see you again soon.”

Sam nodded and stepped from the porch and walked down the walkway letting himself out the gate. He was strolling up the driveway toward the house when he heard a familiar rumble behind him and stiffened knowing he was going to get a tongue lashing from his brother. He didn’t bother trying to hide or run knowing it wouldn’t do any good; Dean had already seen him. 

“What the hell Sammy! I told you to stay in the house,” Dean growled at him as he pulled up beside him.

“I was….”

“Get in the car.”

“Dean…”

“Car! Now!”

Sam hung his head and headed around the car and got in the passenger seat. He barely had the door closed when Dean pressed on the gas and sent the car on up the driveway to their house. He stopped and threw himself out of the car, his anger still showing in his body language. He carried a bag with their dinner in it inside, not bothering to look at his brother. 

Sam got out slowly and followed his brother into the house putting the mail on the counter. He heard Dean in the bathroom and took a seat on a bar stool to wait on him. He wanted to get the yelling over with so they could have dinner. He was getting hungry and could smell the still warm cookies in the bag making his mouth water. He looked up when Dean stomped back into the room and picked up the white bag he had sat on the table. He moved to the counter with it and pulled out white containers dividing them between them. He sat on the other bar stool and opened his container for a bacon double cheeseburger and fries. 

Sam looked at Dean’s sandwich knowing what it was going to be before actually seeing it. Dean was a creature of habit and that was his number one dinner. He held his breath as he opened his own container knowing from experience that sometimes Dean didn’t always get what you wanted. He had gotten used to it over the years and learned not to complain anymore. Sam sighed with relief when he saw a large salad, and some cut up chicken on top of it. He found the dressing in the bag and opened it to pour over the top. He used his fork to mix it up before taking a bite while glancing sideways at Dean seeing he was ignoring him. He continued to eat his meal letting the silence fill the room.

“Grace gave me some cookies,” Sam offered once he had eaten what he wanted of his salad. He was going to keep the remainder for tomorrow. 

“Who’s Grace?”

“Our neighbor. I picked up her mail when I got ours and took it to her. I was trying to be nice,” he shrugged not looking up as he talked.

“You shouldn’t’ve been getting the mail in the first place Sammy. I don’t like you being out alone is all. It could be dangerous, and you know it. I taught you better than that.”

Sam could hear the disappointment in Dean’s voice and looked at his fingers as they twisted together. “I’m sorry. It was stuffy and hot in the house. I just wanted some air,” he said softly.

“Will you promise not to do it again?” 

“Dean, Grace wanted to know if I could help her in the yard and garden. She said she’d pay me, but I don’t want anything. I’d like to help her. She’s a nice lady.” 

Dean looked at his brother knowing he meant well and was always wanting to help people. He watched him squirm in his seat for a moment as he contemplated his response. He knew it wasn’t fair to Sammy to keep him locked up all the time while he was at work; especially since school was going to be out in a few days and he hadn’t heard from Dad yet about moving on. He hoped maybe they’d stay here a little longer so he could earn some more money. He was building up a nest egg for emergencies that he kept to himself.   
“Want a cookie?” Sam asked innocently giving his best puppy dog stare as he pulled a homemade cookie from the bag. 

Dean accepted the cookie and took a bite arching his brows at the delicious taste. He quickly devoured the cookie and took another one. He didn’t know their neighbor, but it seemed she was a good cook. He wondered if she could make pies.

“I’ll go meet her and if I get a good feeling, you can help her,” he finally gave in.

“Thanks Dean,” Sam gushed happily as he bit into his own cookie.

“But you go nowhere else, and you will call me if anything seems off.” 

“I won’t and I will. Maybe we could go down tomorrow and see her. I’ll be out of school in a few days and I won’t have anything to do while you’re at work unless Dad calls for some research. Have you heard from him?”

“We’ll see when I get home from work,” Dean said. He only worked half a day on Saturday and was off on Sunday and half a day on Wednesday. “And no, Dad hasn’t called me lately. Do you have homework for the weekend?”

“Not really. I’m doing some extra credit for one class, but it won’t take too long.”

“Good, you can clean the house tomorrow before I get home.”

“We’ll need to do some laundry over the weekend. I’m out of clean clothes.” 

“Alright, maybe we’ll eat out tomorrow and go to the laundry mat.”

“I want to go to the used bookstore. There’s some reading I want to do this summer for school.”

“Sammy, you don’t have to be a nerd all the time. Give yourself a break once and a while.”

“I like to read,” he shrugged, finishing his cookie.

“I know bro. Yeah, we can go to the bookstore while we’re in town. Why don’t you do a supply list and we’ll do that too?”

“Okay. I’ll do it now.” Sam got up and put his leftover salad in the fridge and grabbed a pad and pen to start a list. He knew they had to be thrifty and watch their money until their father got back. He still tried to eat healthy and they didn’t cook much but he made do. He opened cabinets looking at what was left in them as he scribbled items down on the pad.

spn

Sam opened the gate to Grace’s yard and waited for Dean to enter before closing it. He was excited as they walked up the pathway to the front door. Dean knocked loudly and waited for an answer. When no one came, he looked to Sam and saw the sad look on his face.

“Let’s walk around back. Didn’t you say she had a garden?” 

“Yes, maybe she’s working in it,” he nodded quickly stepping back off the porch and moving around the side of the house to the backyard. He smiled when he saw Grace among the rows of her garden. “Hello, Grace,” Sam called to her, waving to get her attention.

“Sam, hello,” she greeted them moving from the garden toward them.

“Grace, this is Dean, my brother.”

“So, you’re the one driving that dreamy car. I got to say she is a beauty,” Grace said. She removed her gloves and shook Dean’s hand. “My Stan would have loved it. He liked to restore classic cars in his spare time. You two would have gotten alone very well. I lost him five years ago this August.”

Dean smiled at her and already liked her. “Nice to meet you ma’am and sorry for your loss.”

“Oh, please call me Grace young man. Would you like to come in for a glass of homemade lemonade?” she asked wiping the sweat from her face and catching stray strands of hair and pushing it behind her ears.

“That’d be nice Grace,” Dean said. 

The brothers followed Grace to her backdoor and inside to her kitchen. It was light and warm and inviting. They took a seat at the table while she washed her hands and then pulled three glasses from a cabinet and opened the fridge for a jug of lemonade. After pouring three glasses, she carried them to the table passing them to the boys.

“Sammy said you might need some help in your yard and garden,” Dean started before sipping on the tart drink. It was very good, not too sweet and not too tart. 

“Yes, theses old bones make it hard to do most of my work anymore. Don’t get old young man, it sucks.”

Dean laughed at her remark. “This is good lemonade and I know what you mean.”

“It wouldn’t be anything too hard, mowing the grass, weeding, helping with the garden. I’d pay him of course. I can’t have him do it for free that wouldn’t be right.”

“You really don’t have to do that. I’m sure Sammy would do it for free to have something to do now that school will be out.”

“Wonderful,” she clapped happily looking to Sam who smiled shyly.

“I could come by tomorrow afternoon and see what you need done,” he offered.

“Why don’t you two come down for Sunday lunch? I love to cook and haven’t had anyone to cook for in a long time except when I makes dishes for elderly church friends in the area.”

"That would be too much trouble."

“Absolutely not Dean. Cooking for two more won’t bother me. I’ll add another potato to the pot,” she laughed. “Do you like pie? I could make an apple pie for dessert.”

“Did you say pie?” Dean asked perking up. She had just won him over.

“In my day I might have won a few blue ribbons for my pies.”

“Then I’ve got to try them.”

“Why don’t you come on down around noon. I should be home from church by eleven and that will give me time to finish cooking the meal.”

“Alright. We’ll see you tomorrow for lunch,” Dean replied. “We should go, thanks for the lemonade.”

“It was good Grace, thanks,” Sam said. He got up and waited as Grace led them to the front door and opened it so they could leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow Dean, Sam.”

“Goodbye Grace,” Sam replied.

They headed to the Impala and drove on to their house. Sam grabbed two bags of clean clothes while Dean looped bags onto his hands to take inside. He went back out to get the last few and started putting away the food. Sam took their clothes to their bedroom and sorted them, stacking Dean’s clothes on his bed. They had to share a bedroom, but at least they had separate beds this time. He put his clothes away in one of the dressers and hung some up in the closet before heading to the kitchen. 

“Thanks Dean, I like Grace and won’t mind helping her,” Sam told him as he took a seat at the counter. 

“She did seem like a nice lady. Just don’t let your guard down no matter what.”

“I’ll be careful, I promise. I knew when she said pie, she had you,” Sam teased to get a dish towel thrown at him. “It’s true, pie’s your weakness and you know it. If it’s as good as her cookies, then we’re in for a good meal.”

spn

Dean checked Sam over and patted down his hair with a hand he licked, to get slapped by Sam as he sputtered his disgust. 

“Just want you to look decent dude,” Dean said.

“I’m fine, quit fussing,” Sam complained. “C’mon, we need to head on down to Grace’s so we’re not late.”

“We’ve got plenty of time Sammy, the walk isn’t that long.”

“I know, but it’s always good to be a little early.” Sam picked up a bouquet of wildflowers he had picked that morning to take to Grace. He wanted to make a good impression because she was being so nice to them. They usually didn’t make any friends because they didn’t stay in one place long enough and this was a treat for him.

They walked down the road to Grace’s house to have Sunday lunch with her. Dean knew this went against everything their Dad taught them about leaving the house and talking to strangers. He had a small vial of holy water that he was going to slip into Grace’s drink and a silver ring for when he shook her hand to be sure she was human. Wasn’t much he could do to see her blood and was going to have to let that one slide unless he saw a need for it. He couldn’t just ask her to prick her finger or anything. Dean could sense Sam’s excitement because he was sure it made him feel older, plus it let him help someone.

Sam knocked on the door and waited for Grace to answer it. He checked the wildflowers once again in his hand and hoped she liked them. The click of the lock being turned caught his attention and he looked with expectation waiting for the door to open. 

“Right on time I see, come on in boys. I’ve almost got lunch ready,” Grace greeted them.

“These are for you,” Sam offered holding out his gift to her.

“Why Sam, honey, they are beautiful. And wildflowers are my favorite. Why don’t we go on into the kitchen and I’ll put these in some water? They will make a nice addition to the table.”

"Something sure smells good ma’am,” Dean commented taking in the aromas in the kitchen. 

“Now Dean, please call me Grace, we’re friends. I never thought to ask if there was anything either of you didn’t like. I made lasagna, salad, garlic bread, iced tea and apple pie for dessert.”

“That sounds great Grace, let me get the drinks for you. Sammy set the table,” Dean offered when he saw dishes stacked on the table ready. He went to the fridge freezer and got out an ice tray to fill the glasses and looked in the fridge for the tea. Dean glanced at Grace who was busy at the stove and pulled out the vial and poured the holy water in one glass. He filled it with tea and took it to the table getting a bitch face from Sam who saw what he did. Dean gave him a no nonsense look and went back for the other two glasses.

“I have ranch, Italian, or French dressings for the salad. I hope you like one of those.”

“Ranch is fine,” Sam answered as he sat the silverware next to the plates. 

“Alright you two, have a seat and I’ll get things on the table.”

“I can help with that,” Dean offered moving to take a bowl of salad from her and sat it on the table. 

Grace put a large pan of lasagna in the middle of the table and a basket of garlic bread. She put some fresh grated Parmesan cheese beside the dishes and took a seat. 

“Alright boys; dig in don’t be bashful. There’s plenty for seconds but be sure to save some room for a slice of pie. It’ll be done if a few minutes.”

“Sammy, hand me your plate,” Dean told him as Sam filled a bowl with salad. He cut a chunk of the lasagna and placed it on Sam’s plate along with a slice of bread. He watched Grace sip her tea, waiting to see if there was going to be any reaction and let out the breath he was holding when nothing happened.

“Would you mind honey, you’re doing a good job at serving it,” Grace said. 

“Of course, no problem.” Dean served her and then himself, taking a couple slices of bread. He frowned at Sam when he offered him salad like it was poison and cut into his lasagna and took a bite. “Oh my god Grace, this is amazing!” Dean moaned with delight. He wasn’t lying either, this was really the best he had ever eaten.

“Dean’s right, this is so good,” Sam agreed. “Everything is.”

“Why thank you boys, you’re making my head swell. It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone to cook for and I am a bit rusty.”

“If this is rusty, I can’t wait to taste something when you’re at your peak. I bet you could cook circles around anyone else. I’d marry you in a second.”

“Oh, Dean, if I was fifty years younger, I might take you up on that,” she laughed heartily patting his arm. 

Sam snickered behind his napkin as Dean ate the attention up. He perked up and smiled broadly thinking she had to be a looker in her younger years and wasn’t bad now. They talked about random things as the meal was finished. 

“Are you ready for pie or would you like to wait a bit?” Grace asked them. “I have ice cream if you’d like some on it.”

“My mouth’s already watering in anticipation,” Dean said rubbing his hands together. “Can I help?”

“No, you sit right there. You’re my guest.”

“Make mine a small piece,” Sam said.

“At least let me get these plates out of the way,” Dean told her stacking the plates and moving them to the sink to be washed. He poured two cups of coffee and refilled Sam’s glass with tea before sitting back down.

Grace sat a dessert plate in front of each brother and went back for her own before sitting down. 

“Oh, Grace, I think you have outdone yourself,” Dean cooed to her after the first large bite. He cut off another bite and hummed in delight as he chewed. “Mmm… so good,” he mumbled.

“Dean, swallow before talking,” Sam whispered to Dean. “Manners.” 

“That’s okay Sam, Dean’s enjoying his food,” Grace said.

“Since you did all the cooking, we’ll do the dishes for you.”

“That’s okay; I can get them later.”

“Nope, I insist. You cooked a fantastic meal for us, we can wash the dishes. Right Sammy?”

“Yes. You were kind enough to feed us, the least we can do is the dishes,” Sam agreed. 

They finished their pie and Sam went to the sink to start water for the dishes and Dean cleared the table and wiped it off.

Grace got out plastic containers to pack food for the boys to take home with them. She had a feeling their cooking was pretty basic. She had learned their mother had died when Sam was six months old and it was just them and their father now. It seemed he was away a lot with his job leaving the boys to fend for themselves. Maybe she could help with that now that she knew. 

I packed you two some dinner for tonight since I can’t eat it all and there’s plenty left.”

“Thanks Grace, it will not go to waste that’s for sure.” 

“When you get done, why don’t we go relax in the family room?” she asked.

“That’s fine. It won’t take us long to get these done,” Dean replied. “So…Where do they go?” he asked stacking the clean, dried plates by the sink.

“Cabinet to your right there and glasses in next one down.”

“Got it.” Dean put away the dishes and glasses while Sam let the water out and wiped down the sinks and counters. 

The brothers washed and dried their hands before following Grace to the family room and took a seat on the couch. 

“Do you boys like to watch sports? Racing? I’m sure there’s something on it being a Sunday afternoon.” Grace went to the television and turned it on searching the channels until she came across a NASCAR race. “Will this do?”

“That’s fine,” Dean said settling back on the couch. 

“Mind if I look at your books Grace?” Sam asked seeing a large selection of books lining one wall of the room.

“Why of course dear, help yourself. If you would like to borrow any be my guest. Stan and I both were avid readers, especially after retiring.”

“Thanks,” Sam said. He got up and moved to the bookcase letting his fingers track over the spines of the books. He pulled one out and read the inside cover. Thinking it sounded interesting, he took a seat in the corner and began to read the book, ignoring the others. 

“I see your brother enjoys a good book.”

“Yeah, he’s kind of a nerd,” Dean chuckled seeing Sam engrossed in the book.

“So, what do you do Dean?”

“I work at the garage in town with Herb fixing cars.”

“Herb’s a good person to work for.”

“He is. How long were you and your husband married?” Dean noticed photos scattered around the room of Grace and a handsome man in different stages of their lives.

“We met in college and it would have been fifty years the beginning of next year.”

“Wow, it looks like you had a fulfilling life with him.”

“We did, we traveled during the summer months when I wasn’t teaching.”

“Kids?”

“Three, two boys and a girl. They’ve all moved away now and have families and lives of their own. I go visit on holidays and we chat on the phone.”

What did you and your husband do before retiring?”

“Stan was in finance and I was a teacher for twenty years.”

“Nice. Sammy will be out of school in a couple of days so he can come down and help you out. He may be small, but he’s tough.”

“I’m sure he’ll do just fine. When is your Dad coming home?”

“Not sure, sometimes his job takes longer than expected. We’ll probably be leaving when he gets back.”

“Sounds like you move around a lot. Guess that can be hard on you and Sam.” 

“We make do,” Dean shrugged looking away at the television not wanting to talk about it. 

Grace saw Dean put up his walls and knew that was a touchy subject and didn’t ask about it again. They watched most of the race until Dean decided they should head home. Grace let Sam take the book he was reading, and Sam promised to come down on Wednesday morning when he got out of school and start helping her in the yard.

spn

Dean was heating their dinner and Sam turned on the television so they could watch it while they ate. He took his plate and sat on the couch as the local news came. A few words from the announcer caught his attention and he looked up with interest. 

“Check this out Dean,” Sam said.

‘The medical community is at a loss over the strange cases that are suddenly popping up in the community. People are being brought into the emergency room barely conscious with no signs of trauma. The symptoms come on quickly; tired, weak, listless, until they lapse into a coma. There have been eight confirmed cases in the past week…’

“Does that sound weird to you?” he asked looking to his brother.

“You think it could be something supernatural?”

“It does sort of sound like something for us.”

“I’ll see what I can find out in town tomorrow.”

“Alright, I’ll check online while I’m at school. There won’t be much going on since there’s only two days left and one of those is a half day. I’ve done all the required work already.”

“Alright. It’s probably nothing, so don’t worry about it.” 

Sam couldn’t help but worry. If a supernatural monster was in this town that meant people, he knew could be in danger. Herb, Grace, his teachers, and others. It made it easier to deal with the monsters when the victims were strangers and he didn’t feel a connection to them. 

After settling down in an overstuffed chair by the window, Sam began to read the book that Grace had let him borrow. When he zoned out, getting lost in a book, everything else was shut out. He didn’t hear the steady drone of the television that Dean was watching, or the questions Dean asked. He was lost in the words, lost in another world where he could pretend things were different. He could have another life, be like other people. He wasn’t moving around from one town to the next as his father took on hunts. 

He hated being the new kid at school all the time. Sometimes he wouldn’t even be in a school but for a couple of weeks before he was pulled out and they moved on again. If he was really lucky, John would rent a place for a month or two and use it as home base so the boys could attend school and he could hunt. That was the case here. They had been here five weeks now and he hoped they stayed at least part of the summer now that he had a job working for Grace. 

Dean could see it on his face when Sam didn’t answer his question and he looked toward him. Sam was engrossed in the book he was reading and had shut the outside world out. Dean had seen him do this his whole life and didn’t think anything of it. It was Sam’s way of coping, he knew that. He still remembered the night that Sam read John’s journal and found out what he really did and what was out there in the dark. 

He fingered the necklace hanging around his neck and rubbed the funky head. Sam had given it to him that night because he was pissed at their Dad for lying to him and he hadn’t shown for Christmas once again. Dean had put it on and hadn’t taken it off since. His little brother was a genius, he was sure of that and didn’t need any testing to prove it. He could see it every time he did research or worked out a problem on a hunt or could see the logical thing to do and not go in half-cocked. He didn’t tell him enough, but he was proud of his little brother. 

====================================  
AOW wanting to be a pain today. Didn't want to load chapter. Hope you enjoyed the first part. NC


	3. Chapter 3

B  
Part II

Dean was surprised the garage wasn’t opened yet when he pulled the Impala to the side of the building and got out. Usually Herb always beat him here and had the place ready for the day. He went to the door and pulled out the key given to him and opened the office door. Dean went through turning on lights, starting coffee, and opening the bay doors to the service area. 

“Mornin’ Dean,” Herb called to him as he strolled in. 

“Hey Herb, was getting ready to call you,” Dean greeted him.

“Sorry about that, I ran by the hospital to see my neighbor to see how he was doing. Doctors don’t know what’s wrong with him and there were others there with the same symptoms,” Herb explained.

“Man, sorry to hear that,” Dean said. He could hear the worry in his voice. He looked over at Herb and noticed he didn’t seem his perky self today. He wasn’t sure if it was worry or stress or if he was getting sick too. “How are you feeling?”

“Didn’t sleep good last night, so I’m a little tired is all. You can move the car out of bay two and park it outside. The owner’s in the hospital so I don’t know when she’ll be here to get it,” Herb told him as he looked over the paperwork on a clipboard. Herb was organized and kept good paperwork. He planned out the work schedule to be more efficient and get the cars in and out quicker. 

“If you want to take the day off and go home to rest, I can handle it Herb,” Dean offered. “I know what to do.”

“Thanks Dean, I might take you up on that. I’ll stay a little while and get some bookkeeping done and a deposit ready. Maybe I’ll take it to the bank and go on home. You sure you don’t mind being here alone?”

“Naw, I’m good. I don’t think we’ll get that busy today. I’ll order a pizza or something for lunch so I won’t have to leave, and I can call my brother at school to come and help. His last class is study hall and it being the end of school they’re not doing anything.”

“I’m glad I hired you that day you walked into the garage. I gotta admit I was leery at first, you looking like a bad boy and all. Glad I trusted my instincts.”

“Yeah, me too. I have enjoyed working here a lot and thanks for letting me work on my Baby after hours.” 

“It’s the least I can do. You have brought in more business since you started working here than I’ve seen in a while. You have been good for my bottom line.” 

“I think it benefited both of us.” 

“Well, I’ll get that paperwork done and let you know when I leave.”

“Okay, I’ll start on the Ford in bay two.”

“That’s fine.” Herb headed into his office and began to work on the books for a few hours and put together the deposit. He called to Dean when he was ready to leave, bidding him goodbye and to call him at home if there were any problems. 

Dean wiped his hands on a rag and pulled out his cell. He called the school and asked to speak to his brother. He waited for them to get him and glanced at the work sheet to see what he needed to do next. Once Sam came to the phone, he explained what was happening and checked Sam out of school. There weren’t any problems since most of the classes were having end of year parties and he knew Sam hated those.

Sam was going to catch the bus to the garage and stay the afternoon with him answering the phone and dealing with any customers. Dean ordered a pizza from the pizza place for their lunch and went outside to watch for the bus that would bring Sam to him. 

spn

The bus slowed and pulled to a stop at the bus stop and Sam got up to get off. He was half a block from the garage and started down the sidewalk toward where his brother worked. He wasn’t surprised to see Dean standing outside looking for him and looked both ways before crossing the street.

“Hey, thanks for getting me out of school. It was really boring today,” Sam said when he came abreast of Dean. 

“No problem bro. I ordered a pizza that should be here any minute for lunch,” Dean replied heading back into the office. 

“Where’s Herb?”

“He wasn’t feeling well. His neighbor is in the hospital with whatever is going around. He went to see him and said more people had come in too.”

“I wonder if it’s airborne or has to be passed by touch?” Sam asked dropping his pack in the corner. “Can I use the computer? Maybe I can find some more information out.”

“Sure, you know where it is. Just don’t move anything in there, Herb has a system.”

“I know, he showed me one time. It’s pretty simple once you know the key.”

“Hello,” a voice called from the front.

“That must be the pizza,” Dean said heading back to the front leaving Sam in the office. 

He came back a few minutes later with a pizza box in his hand and a couple of drinks. Eat first Sammy, and then you can play computer nerd,” Dean told him sitting the box on the corner of the desk in a clear spot. 

“Thanks Dean.” Sam grabbed a napkin and picked up a slice to take a bite. He was hungry and devoured the first slice even before Dean and that was saying something. 

“Gee Sammy, hungry?” Dean chuckled as Sam bit into his second slice. 

“I am,” Sam mouthed around his bite. He wiped his mouth and sipped on the soda, burping softly deciding to slow down. He usually had better manners than Dean. 

They finished off the pizza and cleaned up. 

“So, you can answer the phone and you know how to book appointments but if you have a question, come get me. I’m going to be working in the garage,” Dean told him sitting the appointment book by the computer. He left the door opened so he could hear if Sam called for him. 

Sam went online and started a search on what they knew so far. He opened another screen and pulled up copies of the local papers to see what they were saying. He read any articles he could find and took notes. Sam tried to find patient zero to see when this sickness started. He looked around for a map of the town and finally found one. Sam looked in the phone book and found an address for the first victim. He marked it on the map and found the addresses for several other ones and did the same thing. He studied the area seeing they were close together and out near where they lived. 

This concerned him because he thought of Grace. He wished he knew how to hack into the hospital database and look at their patient records but that was above his knowledge right now. He had been studying computers, programming, hacking, whatever he could get his hands on, absorbing it all like a sponge. He had a thirst for knowledge and soaked up all he could. 

The day passed by quickly to Sam who was kept busy answering the phone, making appointments, dealing with walk-ins, and researching in between it all. He printed out the possible monsters that fit what they had of the profile and stuffed them in his backpack. It was almost time to close the garage and they would be heading home. He switched the phone over to the answering machine and shut down the computer before closing and locking the office. Dean was closing the bay doors and locking them before joining him in the waiting room. They locked the garage and got in the Impala to head home. 

“Stop at the mailbox and I’ll check our mail and see if Grace has any,” Sam told Dean as he turned on the road they lived on.

“Alright.”

Sam jumped out and jogged back down to the mailboxes to check them. “Drop me at Grace’s and I’ll walk the rest of the way,” he told Dean laying their mail between them.

“You don’t want me to wait?”

“No, I could use the exercise.” He looked over at the empty house as Dean drove slowly past it and swore, he could feel something looking at him. It gave him the creeps and was glad when they got past it. Sam let the breath he didn’t know he was holding in a long sigh. He saw Grace’s house and when Dean stopped got out to take her her mail. Dean drove on to their house at the end of the road, leaving Sam.

“Hello Sam,” Grace greeted him when she answered the door.

“I brought your mail Grace,” Sam said holding it out.

“Why thank you sweetie. Where’s your brother?”

“He drove on to the house. I’m going to walk the rest of the way.”

“Hold on a moment, I made an extra pie this morning and was going to bring it to you, so you saved me the trip.” She stepped back into the house and came back with a paper bag.

“Tell Dean I hope he likes pecan pie, it won me three blue ribbons.”

“I’m sure he will think it’s delicious Grace. Thanks. Tomorrow is my last day of school, so I’ll come down Wednesday morning and get started on the yard.”

“That is fine. It you want to take a day off is fine too.”

“No, I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be fun.”

“I have to say Sam, you’re not like teens your age and I commend you for it. I’m going to fix a nice dinner for you boys on Wednesday. Why don’t you tell Dean to plan on both of you eating with me then?”

“That’s nice of you Grace, but you don’t have to do that.”

“But I want to Sam. Like I said, I love to cook and to have two strapping boys to cook for is a treat.”

“Thanks, I’ll tell Dean. I better get on home. Grace be sure and keep your doors and windows locked okay?” he asked in a serious tone.

“Why sure Sam, I usually do, is something wrong?” 

“No, no, just to be on the safe side. Bye Grace.”

“Goodbye Sam, I’ll see you on Wednesday.” She watched Sam stroll down the walkway and head up the road. Grace wondered what was bothering Sam that he would be concerned for her safety. She walked around the house checking all the windows and made sure the doors were locked before going to the kitchen to fix her dinner. 

spn

“Grace sent you a pie,” Sam called when he walked in the door.

“Did I hear pie?” Dean asked sticking his head around the kitchen doorway. “Give me.” Dean held his hands out wiggling his fingers excitedly as Sam held out the bag.

“Did you bring my pack in?”

“Couch. Come to mama…”

“Do you need some alone time?” Sam teased.

“Bite me. Smell that, it’s like heaven...” Dean sat the pie on the counter and grabbed a small plate and knife.

“So, it’s dessert before dinner? You are setting a bad example.”

“Oh my god…This is awesome,” Dean moaned after his first bite. He cut another and hummed, letting the flavors explode in his mouth. 

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother’s remark and went to find his backpack. 

“If you ask nicely, I might give you a bite.”

“That’s okay, I can wait until after dinner, like you’re supposed to. What are we having?”

spn

The garage wasn’t open again the following day, but Dean figured Herb had gone to see his neighbor at the hospital and didn’t think anything about it. Sam was going have the school bus drop him at the garage since he was only there half a day. He didn’t want to go to school, so he could work on what was happening in the town, but Dean made him.  
Dean got the garage opened and ready for business before swapping cars out that he had finished with to work on ones that were dropped off either last night or early this morning. He went over the notes Herb had taken to see what needed to be done. 

It was two hours later, and still Herb hadn’t showed up to work. Dean called him but didn’t get an answer. He started getting worried and decided if he hadn’t shown by the time Sam got there, he was locking the place up and going to his house to check on him. He would have called if there was a problem to let Dean know. This was not like him at all.  
Sam hopped off the bus and waited for it to pull away before heading to the garage to find Dean. He didn’t even get inside before Dean stopped him.

“We’re going to check on Herb, I’ve not heard from him today,” Dean said.

“You think something’s wrong, don’t you?”

“I don’t know, but I need to find out.” Dean cranked the Impala and pulled out of the parking lot. He headed to the outskirts of town where Herb lived in a small house on a country road. He had one neighbor that lived across from him, but no others.

“His car is here,” Sam noted pointing to the car under the carport.

“You stay here Sammy,” Dean told him before getting out of the car. He went to the door and knocked but didn’t get an answer. He went around to the back door and jimmied it open to get inside. “Herb! You here!” he called as he moved into the kitchen and listened for any sounds. Dean headed to the hall where his bedroom was and pushed the door open. “Herb,” he said. 

The bedroom seemed warmer than it should be and had a damp feeling, and he caught a whiff of a nasty smell. Dean could see a body on the bed and quickly flipped on the light and hurried to Herb’s side. “Hey man are you okay?” he asked as he laid a hand on his chest to feel it barely rise up and down. He checked for a pulse and found it weak.  
Dean picked up his phone from the nightstand and called 911 to get an ambulance to take him to the hospital. He looked him over but didn’t see any injury or blood. Herb looked like he was sleeping and just wouldn’t wake up. Whatever was happening in this town just got personal. Dean hurried to the front door to let the EMTs in when they arrived and tell Sam what had happened. He brought Sam into the living room and made his sit while he watched out the door for the ambulance.

“Is he like the others Dean?” Sam asked, his voice laced with fear because he knew this was not a virus or disease or something normal medicine could cure. 

“Yes,” Dean replied through gritted teeth. “Where are they?” He sighed with relief when he heard the wail of the siren getting closer and stepped to the edge of the porch as it pulled into the driveway. “He’s in the bedroom guys, hurry.”

“Hey Dean, what have we got?” Kip asked. He knew Dean from the garage where he took his car for repair. He was five years older than Dean, but they struck up an easy friendship.

“Hey Kip. Herb didn’t come in for work and he was complaining yesterday of not feeling well and I got concerned when I couldn’t get ahold of him, so I came to check on him. He’s unconscious but I don’t see any signs of trauma.”

“Sounds like the others we have taken to the hospital. We’ll take care of him Dean.”

“I’ll follow you to the hospital,” Dean told them. “C’mon Sammy, get in the car.”

They watched as the EMTs wheeled Herb out and loaded him into the ambulance. Dean dropped into the driver’s seat and cranked the Impala to pull out behind it. He kept pace with the ambulance and found a place to park near the emergency entrance. 

“Do you want to stay in the car?” Dean asked Sam.

“No, I’m coming in with you,” Sam told him. “He’s my friend too.”

“Don’t get in the way.”

They got out and hurried into the emergency department and looked around for Herb. He saw Kip and headed that way to see Herb was being checked over by several people. He watched for a moment before glancing around to see others that seemed to have similar symptoms in different curtained off rooms. 

“Are you family?” a nurse asked breaking Dean’s train of thought.

“He doesn’t have any. I work for him, Dean Winchester, I’m as close to family as he has,” Dean replied. 

“I see,” she nodded. “I will let the doctors know, why don’t you have a seat in the waiting room while he’s examined?”

“You’ll let me know what’s going on?”

“I will see if the doctor will talk to you.”

“How many people have been admitted like this?” 

She looked at his serious face trying to decide whether to say anything. She finally spoke softly, “Quiet a few. They’ve set up a ward for the infected.” She turned and hurried away to help someone else.

“This is not good Sammy.”

“I know. Do you have any change?” 

Dean dug into his pocket and handed him some coins and a couple of dollars. He watched the movements around him wishing he knew how Herb was doing. He watched Sam wander away looking for the vending machines. He knew he needed to treat this like any other hunt now. Once he found out how Herb was doing, he was going to see what Sam had found and try to figure out what was attacking the townspeople. 

Several new people dressed in lab coats like doctors came into the emergency room and went to the nurse’s desk to talk to them. They split up going to different curtained off rooms and disappeared inside. He had a feeling these new faces had been called in because of all the people turning up sick and they didn’t know what was causing it. He figured they were from the CDC.

spn

Sam looked around and saw the signs for vending machines and headed away from the emergency room. He was careful and kept an eye on the hospital staff as he checked the rooms he passed. Sam ducked into a room looking for a computer. He didn’t find one there and tried another, finding one. He sat down and quickly started typing trying to get through their firewall. He was surprised that what he had learned off the web worked and quickly looked for any patients that came in with the symptoms he knew about. He ran a several searches, printing out the results before shutting the computer down and folding up the paper to stuff under his shirt. Being sure there was no one in the hall, Sam slipped out and went on to the vending machines to grab a water and bag of nuts. He made his way back to the emergency waiting room. 

“Want some?” Sam offered as he sat back down by Dean. 

“No,” Dean mumbled. 

“I found some things in their data base,” he whispered pulling out the pages.

Dean took the pages and gave them a quick glance before stuffing them in his jacket pocket. “Good work Sammy. I don’t even want to know how you got this.”

“Probably not,” Sam smirked. He could tell Dean was proud of him, even if he didn’t say it.

Dean stood as a man who looked like a doctor approached him. “Did you come in with Herb Anderson?”

“Yes, I found him, I work for him, Dean,” he told him shaking his hand.

“I’m Dr. Haas, the admitting doctor. He’s been moved into isolation and we are running some tests. Can you tell me anything about when he started getting sick?”

“He found his neighbor sick and came here to see him yesterday morning. When he got to the garage, Herb said he wasn’t feeling well. Said he hadn’t been sleeping much and I suggested he go on home I could take care of the place. When he didn’t show up for work today and I couldn’t get in touch with him, I went to his house to check on him and found him unconscious in his bed and called an ambulance.”

“Alright, thank you, I’ll make notes of that,” he said writing down the information.

“Can I see him?”

“No, we’re keeping all the patients together in isolation until we know more.”

“Can I leave my number if anything changes?”

“Of course,” he nodded taking down his cell number. “I will have someone call if there are any changes. If you begin to develop any symptoms at all, please come in.”

“I will. Come on Sammy, there’s nothing we can do here,” Dean told him knowing they needed to head back to the house to start putting things together and find out what they were up against. He headed for the doors with Sam on his heels and got in the Impala, waiting for Sam to settle beside him.

spn

“Okay, what do you know?” Dean asked Sam once they got back to the house. He pulled the pages from his jacket to read over as Sam got out his laptop.

“I’ve found a list of monsters that could be doing this,” Sam replied tapping the keys and turning the screen so Dean could see. “Let me have those so I can mark where they live on my map. I’m trying to pinpoint where the monster might be hiding.”

Dean handed him the pages and pulled a chair over so he could study the screen and read through the list. He had not heard of most of them and was surprised that one of these creatures could be here hurting people. He had not heard of any deaths yet, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen. He didn’t know if killing the creature would bring the victims out of their comas or if they were too far gone to come back.

“I’m going to run back into town and talk to some people and see if I can find anything out. You stay here and do your thing.” Dean hoped he could find some townspeople he knew, and they would want to gossip about what was going on. 

“I can come with you.”

“It’ll be better if I’m alone. People may not want to talk around a kid.”

“I’m not a kid!”

“Yeah, but others don’t see you like I do. Do what you can from here.”

“Fine,” Sam grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. He was tired of being treated like a kid by most adults.

“I’ll bring us something back for dinner,” he offered hoping to appease his little brother. He knew he was wiser than his teen years and had seen more than most adults already. With one final glance to him, Dean headed out to gather what information he could from town, hoping it might help with their search for the monster. 

Sam heard the Impala drive away and tossed the pages on the table in disgust. He hated being left out of things and grabbed the key for the front door to lock it behind him. He needed some air and decided to walk down to the mailbox and check on Grace. He was worried about her being alone with what was going on in town. He kicked a rock down the road as he mulled over what he knew. He started piecing together the facts and didn’t realize he had stopped in front of the empty house that sat back from the road. Sam looked up and frowned not understanding why this house disturbed him so. 

He couldn’t stop himself from stepping toward the place, like it was drawing him to it. The closer he got to the house, the more uneasy he felt. Flashes of a figure slinking toward him pressed into his mind. There was something wrong with it. The skin didn’t look normal, and black veins seemed to stand out all over its body. He was sure whatever he was seeing wasn’t human.

Noises on the road broke the trance and he quickly ran back to the road when he found himself on the porch of the house, not knowing how he got there. He wasn’t sure whether he should tell Dean about this or not wondering if his imagination was getting the best of him. Sam continued to the mailbox and checked both not finding anything in either. He started back up the road staying to the far side, well away from the house, not daring to look at it again. 

He hurried back to the house, only pausing to wave at Grace who was outside cutting some flowers. Seeing she was safe, he didn’t slow until he was behind the locked door, leaning against it and drawing in long breaths. He had to slow his pounding heart so he could think. 

Sam moved back to his laptop and brought up the list of monsters that his search had found and started eliminating the ones that didn’t fit. He was going to add any information Dean gathered to narrow it down more. He looked back at the map where he marked the houses of the ones that had gotten sick and tried to see a pattern or some kind. He made notes on what he thought and on the weird thing he saw at the house at the end of the road. Sam was still sitting there a few hours later when he heard the Impala pull up to the house. It wasn’t but a few minutes until Dean let himself in carrying a couple of bags of food.

“Hey, you hungry?” Dean asked sitting down the bags.

“Not really. Did you find out anything?”

“People are scared. There’s been two deaths now. They were the first to start showing signs of being ill and the doctors are stumped. None of the tests run show anything. The doctors said it was like they just didn’t have any life left in them. Herb was the last person brought in with it. The doctors determined he must have gotten sick a few days ago. They don’t know how long he has.”

“I’m sorry Dean, I know you got close to him,” Sam said. “You think we should call Dad about this?”

"I tried; he didn’t answer. I called Bobby. Can you send him what we have? Maybe he can get us closer to what we’re looking for.”

“Alright,” Sam nodded. He pulled up his email and attached some files to forward to Bobby.

“You need to eat whether you’re hungry or not. I got you some salad and a grilled chicken breast with steamed broccoli.” 

“Thanks Dean,” Sam replied knowing he was trying to make up for not taking him alone into town with him. He accepted the container after pushing aside his papers so they wouldn’t get messed up. 

“I’m going to leave the garage closed tomorrow so I can go see how Herb is doing and try to find out more.”

“I’m going down to see Grace and get started helping her.” 

“Good, I’d feel better if you were with someone while I’m gone. Why don’t you stay with her until I get back from town?” 

“You’ll call me if you find out anything?”

“Yeah bro, I’ll keep you in the loop,” Dean told him. He knew Sam wanted to be included in this so he wouldn’t feel left out. “Hopefully Bobby will come up with something.”

“Yeah,” Sam said. He mulled over whether to tell Dean about what happened earlier but decided to wait until they heard from Bobby. 

Sam didn’t notice Dean was studying him as he ate knowing he wasn’t telling him something. Dean could read Sam like a book and knew he was holding something back. He knew it wouldn’t do any good to press the issue since that would only make him clam up more. After he went to town, he’d question Sam about what he wasn’t telling him. 

spn

It was after midnight and Sam was asleep in their bedroom, and Dean had gone to sleep on the couch while watching an old movie. Sam was dreaming when suddenly heavy pressure bore down on him making it hard for him to breath. Sam’s eyes popped open and he could see the outline of someone sitting on him, holding him down. He could see red eyes looking at him and tried to struggle but couldn’t move. Every muscle in his body was frozen as he struggled to no avail. He moved his frightened eyes to the right trying to see the bed across from his but saw it was empty. He tried to cry out but only a whimper escaped his mouth. The creature leaned over him and pressed his mouth open as he started to siphon out his life essence. Small puffs of what looked like a breath on a cold day began to float from his mouth into the creature, who moaned with pleasure. ‘This one was strong and made a good meal’, it thought. Sam could feel himself slipping away and could not stop it. He screamed out in his mind for his brother, praying he would come in and stop this. A single tear slipped from his eye and dripped down the side of his face as he lost his battle with consciousness and tumbled into the ebony abyss. 

Dean snorted himself awake and looked around realizing he had fallen asleep on the couch. He lay there a moment trying to sort out what had woken him. He listened to the house, trying to pick out anything out of place. He pushed himself from the couch and turned off the television before heading to the bathroom and then the bedroom he shared with Sam. Dean was quiet and could make out Sam’s sleeping form in his bed. He stripped out of his clothes and got in bed hoping to get a few more hours of sleep before morning got here. He never noticed the shadow in the closet that crept back out and moved to lay over Sam again to feed before slipping away before dawn. 

Morning light was streaming through the window when Dean rolled over and saw he had overslept. He rolled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom to do his thing.  
“Hey Sammy, you awake?” Dean called to his brother as he looked for clean clothes. He looked up and over at the bed before calling to him again. “Sammy? Sam? Hey wake up.” Dean moved to Sam’s bed and shook him watching his head roll back and forth like it was on a rubber band. He looked closer and saw how pale Sam’s complexion was and pressed two fingers quickly to his neck. He concentrated and let out the breath he was holding when a faint beat was felt. Dean laid his hand on his chest and could barely feel it rise and fall. 

Cold fingers wrapped around his heart when he realized Sam looked the same as Herb when he found him. He stood up and looked around and caught the scene of something rotten lingering in the air. Whatever had attacked Sam slipped right by him and he never had a clue. 

Not knowing what else to do, Dean threw on clothes and wrapped Sam in a blanket before carrying him to the living room. He couldn’t leave him here alone and he didn’t want to take him with him. He knew taking him to the hospital wouldn’t do any good and didn’t want to go through all the hassle. He grabbed his keys and ran outside to open the back of the Impala knowing of only one place he could leave him and then he needed to find this monster and end him. No one messed with his little brother and got away with it.

Grace heard the pounding on her door and hurried to see who it was. She was shocked to see Dean holding Sam in his arms standing on her doorstep.

“Grace, I know I’m asking a lot and I don’t have time to explain everything right now, but can I leave Sam with you?”

“My goodness what’s wrong with him?” she asked holding open the door so Dean could come in. 

Dean stepped into the house and walked into the family room to lay Sam on the couch, being sure he was comfortable before facing Grace again. 

“Something evil has come to this town and people are dying. I’ve got to find it and kill it and hope it saves the others, including my brother,” Dean told her looking down at Sam’s pale face. “Will you watch over him for me?”

“Of course, Dean. I’ll take care of him. What else can I do?” 

“I know this might sound crazy to you, but do you have any salt?” 

Once Dean had the windows and doors salted, he went to the car and brought back a sawed-off shotgun.

“Do you know how to use a gun?” Dean asked her as he loaded rock salt rounds into it.

“Honey, I was using a gun before I was Sam’s age,” she chuckled. 

“If anything gets in shoot first and ask questions later. Here some extra rounds if you need them. Thank you, Grace. I know this is nuts but believe me its real. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“You take care of yourself Dean and don’t worry about Sam. I’ll keep him safe.” She checked the gun and slipped the extra shells into the pocket of her shorts and nodded as Dean hurried out of the house calling to fix the salt line as he shut the door. Grace wasn’t sure what to think about what Dean told her, but one look at Sam told her he wasn’t lying.

Dean went back to the house and started going through Sam’s scribbled notes to see what he had found. He glanced at his cell when it started ringing.

“Hey Bobby, you got anything for me?” he asked dropping the small talk.

“I might. Ever heard of a boo hag?” Bobby asked.

“No, but it’s on Sam’s list, and he has notes about it. I think he was leaning that way. Bobby, it got to Sam last night. I’ve got to find it and kill it, or I might lose him. Two have already died here.”

“Balls!” Bobby hissed madly. “Listen, you won’t be able to kill it until it sheds the skin its wearing.”

“Come again?”

“A boo hag is folklore from the Gullah culture. They are an offshoot of the West African slaves that were brought over in the 1500’s. Most live up and down the east coast from North Carolina to Florida. The Gullah believe that a person has a soul and a spirit. When they die if the person has been good, their soul goes to Heaven and the spirit stays here on earth to watch over and guide its family. If the person is bad, you have a bad spirit, hence a boo hag. It takes the skin of one of its victims and wears it during the day to hide its appearance. The boo hag’s skin is red with black veins over its body. It sheds it at night when it looks for its next victim. It feeds off a person’s life breath or essence. The person wakes up exhausted and feeling ill the next day. It will return again to feed and after that the victim doesn’t last long. There are several legends about the creature. One says to have a straw broom in the room to make the hag stop to count each straw. If you can keep it from getting back in its skin at dawn the next day, it will burn up. Another says Indigo blue paint repels it and to paint your door and windowsills to keep them out. Also, if you can find the skin it wears, fill it with salt and pepper so when it comes back and puts the skin on it will burn the creature from the inside out since they poison it.”

“So, I have until tonight to find where this creature is staying and have to wait for it to leave its skin before I can do anything.” Dean flipped through Sam’s handwritten notes and stopped to read what he wrote about the empty house at the bottom of the road. A sick feeling came over him when he realized Sam had figured it out and didn’t know it. “I gotta go Bobby, I think I know where the monster is hiding. I need to buy some paint.”

“You be careful Dean. It’s fast, strong and could overpower you in a heartbeat.”

“I will Bobby,” Dean replied before hanging up. He headed outside and got into the Impala to head to the nearest hardware store and buy a can of Indigo blue paint, paint brushes, rock salt, and several containers of black pepper. Once he checked on Sam and Grace, Dean was going to find a place to stake out the house when it started getting dark and wait for the boo hag to leave so he could get to work on his trap. 

spn

The night was starting to come to life around Dean as he watched the house from his hiding spot. He had positioned himself where both doors could be seen. Before the light disappeared, he saw a shadow pass by several windows and knew he had the right place. He couldn’t believe the monster was a mile from where they lived, and Sam had sensed it somehow. He knew his little brother was smart, but there was something else special about him too.

The half-moon was out casting the surrounding landscape into dark shadows. Dean didn’t dare move for fear of making some sound to alert the boo hag of his presence. It was an hour later when Dean saw a shadow separate from the house and seemed to float away toward town. He waited another half hour before moving from his hiding spot toward the empty house. 

Dean picked the lock on the back door and went inside. The place was dirty, dusty, full of cobwebs and a few pieces of broken furniture. He sat his pack on the counter and used his flashlight to see. Once he had the paint open and a brush in hand, Dean made his way through the house painting the doorways and windowsills in each room. He put it on thick and even sprinkled rock salt into the wet paint as added protection. Dean left a bathroom window paint free to allow the boo hag entrance back into the house.

Once that was done, he began to search for the skin. He went through the living room and kitchen but didn’t find anything. The house didn’t have a basement, so he knew it had to be somewhere in the house. He started checking the bedrooms and closets but still didn’t find anything. Dean let his light play over the rooms as he stood in the hall and looked around. Something brushed his hair and he looked up to see a string hanging from a door to the attic. He carefully pulled it down and stepped on the rickety steps letting his light roam over the attic space until it landed on what looked like long johns handing from a hook in the ceiling. He knew he had found the skin.

Dean went back to the kitchen and grabbed the pack to take into the attic with him. He had to fight back the gag reflex as he pulled the human skin apart to pour rock salt and pepper into it trying to coat the entire inside. He tried breathing through his mouth as the scent settled over him making bitter bile rise into his throat. 

After he had hung it back where he found it, Dean took the paint and brushed it over the openings around the attic, before packing things up and going back down the stairs. He closed it back looking around thinking there was nothing else he could do. Now was the waiting game. He let himself out and went back to his hiding spot to watch for the boo hag to return. Dean pulled a bottle of water out and took a long swallow. He pulled out bug spray and sprayed his clothes to keep the bugs away and settled down on a fallen tree trunk looking at his watch to see he had three more hours until dawn was here. 

It was an hour before dawn when Dean straightened up as the shape of a person moved back toward the house. The light of the moon gave him enough brightness to tell it was not human. He watched it move to the door and suddenly stop, not understanding why it couldn’t get inside. It moved to each window and the backdoor until finally finding the bathroom window and slipped inside. Dean moved from his hiding spot to the bathroom window and painted it blue to trap the monster inside. He was going to wait to be sure that what he did killed it. 

As the sun came up over the horizon, screeching echoed through the house. A man appeared at a window pounding on it as screams and wails of agony and excruciating pain echoed through the house. He couldn’t cross over any of the openings to get away as he moved to another jerking down ratty curtains but couldn’t break the glass. Dean watched as smoke began to billow from his body and the skin began to melt away from it, leaving it exposed to the sun. He heard one final, strangled cry before the body collapsed to the floor. Dean went to the window and looked in seeing only a pile of ash. 

What surprised him was the small sparks of light floating from the ash and moving toward a window only to stop like they couldn’t get out. Dean picked up a rock and broke the window, allowing the sparks to escape and be blown away on the wind. He saw one bright one head toward Grace’s house and grabbed his pack to get there and see if Sam was okay.

Grace was at the door waiting on him as he ran up the walkway to the porch. He hurried inside and to the couch to see Sam was starting to stir. Sam coughed and wheezed hard before finally opening his eyes to look up at Dean.

“It’s a miracle,” Grace whispered. “A bright light came in through the backdoor and slipped into Sam and he started to wake up.”

“Sammy, can you hear me?” Dean asked kneeling down to his level.

“Dean…” Sam crocked. “I saw…I saw it…”

“It’s okay Sammy, the monster is dead. You’re going to be okay,” Dean assured him grabbing him in a huge hug and pressing him tightly to his chest. He couldn’t stop the tears filling his eyes as they ran down his face and fall into Sam’s unruly hair. 

Sam coughed again into Dean’s chest and he pulled him back enough to look at him. 

“Let me get him some water,” Grace offered going to the kitchen for a glass of water for Sam. She came back and gave it to Dean who held it for Sam to sip on until he nodded, he’d had enough. 

"How do you feel?"

“Tired but not too bad.”

Dean dug his cell from his jacket when it started ringing and answered it. It was the hospital calling that Herb was awake and doing good. It seemed all the ones still alive had awaken and were going to be okay. He thanked her for the call and told them he’d be in later to check on him.

“It’s really over Dean?” Sam asked, his voice still raspy but getting stronger. 

“Yeah bro, it’s over. I watched it happen. Your research gave me what I needed, and Bobby confirmed it.”

“Why don’t I fix you something to eat?” Grace offered. “And maybe you can tell me a little more about what just happened here and how you know so much about it.”

“Are you sure Grace?” Dean asked. “Once you know, it’s not something you will be able to forget.”

“I’m stronger than I look Dean, and it might come in handy in the future. I’m thinking you two are not going to be here much longer.”

“Alright, I’ll help you with breakfast and we can talk and you’re probably right. When our Dad gets back, we’ll be moving on again. You okay staying here until it’s ready Sammy?”

“Yeah, I’m starting to feel better already.”

“Why don’t you call Bobby and let him know you’re okay.” Dean tossed his cell to Sam and followed Grace into the kitchen to help with breakfast.

They sat around the small table in the kitchen eating breakfast and Dean gave Grace a summary of what went on in the town and answered her questions. He gave her some basics on what lay behind the curtain, impressed that she took it all in stride. Sam gave her some websites to checkout that had true information she could read.

He left to go check on Herb and Sam stayed with Grace deciding he was feeling well enough to start in the yard. She had him do some weeding and gather vegetables from the garden but made him stop after that. They talked about the book Sam had read and she recommended another for him to try. 

The brothers ended up staying there another three weeks before John came back and they packed up to move. Sam went down every day to help Grace and visit. He enjoyed her company and the conversations they had. She treated him like an adult, and he respected her for it. He made John stop at her house on their way out and they went to tell her goodbye. He was sad to be leaving but knew it was coming. Grace gave him a couple of books to take with him and her email and phone number if he ever needed to talk. She even had a pie for Dean to take with them. John thanked her for looking out for his boys while he was gone. 

Goodbyes were said and the Winchesters headed for another town and another hunt.

The End  
==================================  
A/N: And we are done with this letter and move on to C. I hope you enjoyed this hunt and will come back for more. Comments do make my day. NC


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: And we move on to our next letter. I hope you are enjoying the one shots with the guys. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I do like to know your thoughts, please comment. NC**

**======================================**

**C**

Sam was sleeping in since he had stayed up doing research trying to find something to help his brother. When he had been killed at Cold Oak, Dean had made a deal with a crossroads demon and only got a year to live before the deal came due. Four months had passed, and he had found nothing that would help him. They were still hunting, but any free time Sam had was spent going through lore, tomes, old spell books, anything he could get his hands on that might shed some light on Dean’s situation.

An annoying ringing pulled Sam from the throes of sleep and he turned his head to see Dean’s cell ringing on the nightstand. “Dean, man, answer your cell,” Sam said rolling back over.

Dean grumbled and grunted but didn’t wake up as his cell continued to ring.

“Damnit Dean,” Sam muttered as he moved closer to the edge of the bed to snag his cell and answer it. “H’llo,” he huffed.

“Sam?” a female voice questioned. “Thought I was dialing Dean.”

“You did, he’s asleep.”

“It’s Jody Mills, Sam. Did I wake you?”

“Hey Jody, that’s okay, it’s time to get up anyway. What’s going on?”

“Well a friend of mine called me wanting some help, but I think it’s more along your boy’s line of work.”

“What is it?”

“A friend of my friend says strange things are going on with her kid. He’s not himself anymore. She doesn’t know what to do or how to make anyone believe her. And another mother tried to kill her kid saying she was a monster; she saw it in a mirror. This is way over my head and thought you might check it out.”

“Where’s this happening at Jody?”

“Small town in Utah called Richfield, it’s about one hundred and fifty miles below Salt Lake City. My friend’s name is Zoe Martin and I told her to be expecting you. She works at the public library.”

“Okay Jody, we’ll go check it out, we’re only about six hours away.”

“Thanks’ Sam. How’s Dean doing?” she asked cautiously.

“He’s hanging in there,” Sam said. He looked over at his brother’s sleeping body.

“What about you? You doing alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said quickly. No one had really asked him how he was handling this situation and he caught him off guard. Dean was the one in trouble and should be the focus of attention.

“If you need to talk anytime Sam, you have my number.”

“Thanks. I’ll get Dean up and we’ll head for Richfield.”

“Thanks. Take care.”

“We will.” Sam hung the cell up and swung his legs off the bed before calling to his brother. “Dean wake up! Hey!” he called louder throwing a pillow at him.

“What?” Dean groaned throwing the pillow back at him.

“Jody called, she may have us a case, get up.”

“I’m up bitch,” Dean fussed lying back down.

“Jerk,” Sam shot back jerking the blanket off his brother’s body on his way to the bathroom.

“Hey!” Dean complained feeling the cool air chill his body. He swore under his breath as he sat up on the side of the bed trying to wake himself up. He waited for Sam to come out of the bathroom before getting up and slapping him on the back of the head in passing and quickly ducked into the bathroom before he could retaliate.

**spn**

“What did Jody say again?” Dean asked as he steered the Impala down the interstate toward Richfield, Utah. They wouldn’t get there until late so Dean was going to find a motel for the night and look Jody’s friend up the next day.

“She said something was wrong with some kids. One woman tried to kill her daughter calling her a monster. She said she saw it in the mirror,” Sam replied looking up from his reading.

“You checking Dad’s journal to see what it might be?”

“Yes, I’m hoping he maybe ran across something like this before. It’ll give us a heads up on what we’re looking for.”

“Anything?”

“Not yet, but I still have more pages to read through.”

“I’ll have to stop for gas soon, wanna grab something to eat too?”

“That’s fine, whatever,” Sam mumbled already tuning Dean out as he went back to reading.

Dean looked over at him and saw he was in his own world again. When he got like this, he found the best thing to do is leave him alone and let him come back on his own. Sam had been obsessed with trying to find something to break Dean’s deal before his time was up and he would spend hours with his nose stuck in a book researching. He wouldn’t eat or drink or even acknowledge anyone else was around unless Dean made a point of being sure he ate or drank. He didn’t bother trying to talk to him and kept an eye on the gas gauge and what the signs offered along the way. When he found a suitable exit, he was stopping. They both needed a break.

**spn**

The Impala pulled into Richfield when darkness was descended, and Dean guided her to a small motel on the outskirts of town. He knew they needed rest before delving into the possible hunt in this town. Sam went in and got them a room for the night and headed around back letting Dean follow him in the Impala. He opened the door to the room and went back to the car for his things.

Dean went in first giving the room a once over to be sure it would suit their needs and dropped his bag on the bed closest to the door. Sam moved to the other one and sat his bag on the bed. It was an automatic thing between them since they started hunting together, Dean took the bed closest to the door insisting if anyone broke in, he would be the first line of defense. They’d have to get by him to get to Sammy.

“Want the bathroom first?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, okay,” Dean nodded getting his bathroom bag and a pair of sweats from his duffle. He headed into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Sam found the remote and turned on the television to a documentary and sat down on the bed to wait his turn. He was tired even though he only drove a few hours of the trip. It seemed getting no sleep was catching up with him and he was dragging. Sam decided to turn in early hoping his sleep wouldn’t be disturbed with bad dreams again. He leaned back and settled on a pillow as a yawn escaped and he rubbed his tired eyes. He let his eyes close and was barely listening to the drone of the television when Dean came out and looked over at him.

“Hey bro, bathroom and go to bed,” Dean told him slapping his leg before stealing the remote to find something else to watch.

Sam jumped and stared bleary eyed at Dean not hearing what he said as he tried to get his mind working.

“Bathroom’s free,” Dean said slowly to get his point across. “And go to bed.”

“Alright,” Sam mumbled pushing himself from the bed and fumbling with his bag to get what he needed. He shuffled to the bathroom closing the door behind him. Sam wasn’t long in the bathroom and came back out dropping his clothes on his duffle before going to the bed to turn down the covers and crawl in. He snuggled down with his back to Dean and the television slipping back to sleep.

_Sam was running down a street, trying to find his brother before it was too late. His time was up, and he had to stop the hellhounds from dragging him to Hell. He screamed his brother’s name, but his voice was so hoarse hardly any sound came out. He frantically looked around and spotted a figure ahead of him. He started running again, but he never seemed to get any closer to him. Sam could hear the howls of the hounds and screamed again…._

“Hey dude! Wake up!” Dean yelled at his brother as he shook his body hard. Sam had woken him yelling his name and knew it was another nightmare. “Sammy man, wake up….” Dean sat back when Sam’s started flinging his arms and sprang from the bed panting and staring wild eyed at him. “You had another nightmare bro, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sam rasped out his throat tight and dry. He tried to slow his breathing as he let his head drop back to the pillow and rubbed a hand down his face. “Sor’y I woke you.”

“Go back to sleep, it’s not time to get up,” Dean told him knowing there wasn’t really anything he could do to help him. He went back to his own bed and laid back down but didn’t go to sleep. He listened to his brother wiggling around in his bed and to his breathing slowly calming and evening out. Dean could tell he had gone back to sleep finally and wondered if he could do the same. He was hiding his feelings from everyone as the time ticked away toward when hid deal would come due. He knew there wasn’t anything that could save him, and he had accepted it. He just wished his brother could do the same.

**spn**

The library was a brick building that sat near the high school. Dean found a place to park and they got out to head inside and find Jody’s friend, Zoe Martin. They paused long enough at the entrance to zero in on the checkout desk and headed that way.

“May I help you,” a young girl asked batting her eyes at Sam.

Dean couldn’t help but smirk as Sam fidgeted under her leering gaze. He rescued him by asking, “We’d like to see Zoe Martin please.”

“She’s in her office in the back,” she told Dean ignoring him as she leaned closer to Sam before talking. “Is there something I can help you find or help you with?” she cooed to him trying to act sexy.

“No, that’s fine,” Sam stuttered as he quickly followed Dean toward the back of the library where he saw a sign for the office. He couldn’t stop his face from reddening by the girl’s remarks.

“You sure you don’t want to visit Romeo?” Dean snickered when he saw his brother’s red face.

“No!” Sam muttered madly.

Dean found the door marked director and knocked before opening it. A woman in her mid-thirties looked up from her desk at him. She had auburn, shoulder length hair and bright blue eyes. She wasn’t what you would call beautiful, but she had an air of confidence and maturity and a smile that would melt your heart.

“Can I help you?” she asked looking between the two brothers.

“I think so, Jody Mills sent us,” Dean said.

Realization dawned on her face and she stood motioning them to sit in the chairs at her desk. “Thank you for coming so quickly. You’re Dean and Sam Winchester, correct?”

“I’m Dean,” he smiled at her thinking he might want to visit the library again before they left. “And this is Sam, my brother.”

“I’m Zoe. Jody said that you handle weird things and I have to say this has got me baffled. I’ve known Cara for years and I have to say she is spooked. I’ve never seen her like this. She’s afraid to be alone with her son.”

“How old is he?” Dean asked.

“He’s eight.”

“Have you seen him? Do you see any changes in him?” Sam asked.

“No, Cara just came to me a couple of days ago and told me about this. Should I be worried for her?” she questioned looking between the brother who glanced at each other as something passed between them. She wasn’t getting a good feeling about this.

“Can you give us Cara’s address; we’d like to go talk to her. And Jody mentioned a woman tried to kill her daughter, where is she at?”

“I can do that,” she said pulling a scrap of paper out and writing on it before handing it to Dean. “It was her foster daughter, and they are holding her on the psych ward at the hospital. Her name is Amber Wilson. That’s all I know. She just kept babbling to the cops that the girl was a monster.”

“Alright, we’ll take it from here. Thanks for the information,” Dean nodded getting up to leave.

“Dean, will you let me know what you find?” she asked looking at him with concerned eyes.

“You might not want to know Zoe,” he offered before giving Sam a nod and stepping to the door to leave.

Sam skirted the checkout desk and led them around the library for the front door. Once they were outside, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Let’s swing by the motel. I set a program to run while we were gone to see if I could narrow down what monster we might be dealing with.”

“Alright, we need to change anyway to get in to see this Amber Wilson on the psych ward. I hate cases that involve kids, that’s just not right,” he huffed madly.

“I agree,” Sam replied. He dropped into the passenger seat, his mind drifting to his brother’s deal and what else he could do to try and break it. He knew he should keep his mind on the case, but he couldn’t help it. It still haunted his thoughts and would until he either broke it or Dean was dragged to Hell. Sam was lost in his mind and didn’t realize they had gotten back to the motel already.

“Dude, you need to have your mind in the game or someone’s going to get hurt,” Dean told him when he saw the blank look on Sam’s face.

“Sorry, I’m good,” Sam told him, putting on a neutral face and getting out of the car. He didn’t want Dean questioning him about his zoning out and opened the door to go check his laptop. He pulled up the search program and looked at what it found. “Have you heard of changelings before?” Sam asked when Dean strolled in.

“Don’t think so, what about it?”

“It says a changeling is a creature found in folklore throughout Europe. They were believed to be a fairy child that had been left in place of a human child stolen by the fairies. Says changelings are shapeshifters and can shift between human and their true form. You can see their real form in a reflective surface. They have lamprey like mouths covered in sharp teeth that allow them to feed on humans. They feed off the mothers sucking synovial fluid from the back of her neck.”

“And I’m supposed to know what that is…” Dean asked looking at Sam with a ‘ _go ahead and tell me’_ look.

“The fluid reduces friction between joints during movement. It takes a few feedings, probably several weeks, but the mother will finally die. There is a mother changeling that watches over her kids…Crap…” Sam spit out as he read silently.

“What?” Dean complained showing his annoyance. “Can’t read your mind Sammy, spill.”

“The mother changeling takes the real kids and feeds off of them.”

“Shit! How do we kill them?”

“Good thing is if the mother is killed all her kids die too. Fire kills them.”

“That’s what I needed to know. So how do we find them?”

“Jody said the mom who tried to kill her kid saw it in the mirror. She saw its true form.”

“So, we check out the kids.”

“And do what? We can’t be killing kids Dean. I don’t think that will go over too well with the locals.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Find the mother and the real kids. She’s got to be connected somehow so she can watch over her offspring. I’d say she’s not far away either.”

“Okay, let’s get changed and see if we can get in to see this Wilson chick.” Dean dug out his suit and shook it out before stepping into the bathroom to change.

Sam got up and got his own suit out and waited for the bathroom. He was already trying to devise a plan to find the mother so they could take her out before any human mothers started dying around here.

Dean came out of the bathroom adjusting his tie and pulling at his shirt collar. He hated having to dress in suits but knew it was needed as a cover to bluff their way into places they couldn’t normally get into. He stepped aside so Sam could use the bathroom and change. Dean checked his gun and slipped it into the waistband of his slacks. It might not stop a changeling, but he felt naked without it. He slipped a knife in his jacket and one in a sheath he strapped to his leg.

“Hurry up bro, don’t need to primp in there,” Dean called to his brother thinking he was taking too long.

“I’m almost done,” Sam’s irritated voice answered.

“You need help dressing yourself?”

“Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

**spn**

Dean bluffed their way in to see Amber Wilson on the psych ward. She was locked in a room and had been sedated to keep her calm. An orderly unlocked the door to let them in. Dean walked slowly to the bed and looked at the woman lying in the bed. He could tell she was drugged heavily but hoped she could talk to them.

“Ms. Wilson,” he asked softly, not wanting to frighten her.

She opened her eyes and blinked quickly as she focused on the brothers and pulled the sheets up higher on her chest. “Who are you?” Her frightened eyes darted between the brothers.

“We’d like to ask you about your foster daughter,” Dean told her.

“Why? No one believes me, they think I’m crazy,” she replied a slight slur to her words.

“You might find we’re a little more openminded than others,” Sam offered. “Can you tell us what happened?”

Amber licked her lips and let her head rest back on her pillow for a moment.

“Why don’t you drink something?” Dean asked handing her a cup of water.

After drinking several sips of water, Amber looked at them before starting. “I’m a foster parent. I’ve fostered seven kids over the years but when I took in this last one…Something didn’t feel right. There was something about her that made my skin crawl. We were in the living room and I was doing her hair and looked in the mirror I have on the wall and I saw it. The reflection showing was not her, it was horrible…” She had to stop as her voice hitched and she wiped her eyes.

Sam handed her a tissue and offered a caring smile. He knew this was hard on her having to relive what happened. “It’s okay, take your time.”

“Her name was Lily. At first, I didn’t think anything about her not wanting to be out of my sight because some of the foster kids have been through a lot. But it got worse. I couldn’t even go to the bathroom by myself and she showed no emotions like most kids do. Then I found her sneaking into my bed at night and I found this.” Amber leaned forward and moved her hair to show her neck and the round mark that looked like it was edged with teeth marks. “The doctors think I did something to cause it, but I swear it was her.”

Dean and Sam looked at each other knowing what it was. “Mind if I take a photo?” Sam asked.

“I guess,” she nodded holding her hair for him.

Sam snapped a couple of photos and stepped back.

“It’ll be okay Amber, we’ll get to the bottom of this,” Dean told her squeezing her hand gently. “Thank you for talking with us.”

“So, you believe me?”

“We do,” Sam told her. He gave a brief nod before they left the hospital room.

“We know for sure what we’re dealing with now,” Sam mumbled to Dean as they left the hospital.

“The question is how do we find the mother?”

“Who places kids in foster homes?”

“A social worker.”

“What better disguise for the mother. She has access to the real foster kids and can replace her kids with them. We need to find out who’s the newest social worker at DSS.”

“And then track her and hope she leads us to the real kids.”

“We’ll need a way to kill her.”

“To bad we don’t have a flame thrower.”

“Going a little extreme there aren’t we?”

“Whatever it takes. We need to find the DSS office and see what we can find out.”

“Why not pose as possible foster parents?”

“Us like a couple?” Dean asked wincing in disgust as he looked at Sam.

“No! One of us could do it. You know we’re just getting information and what we would have to do. You could pretend your wife is working and couldn’t come and I’m along for support.”

“Or we could be reporters wanting to do a piece on foster care, you know shed some light on the need for more,” Dean suggested. “They might talk more freely to us that way. Wanna find the office?” Dean asked as he cranked the Impala.

“Okay, not a bad idea. Give me a second,” Sam replied pulling out his cell and doing a search. He did like his brother’s idea better than his own. “Got it. It’s in a building across town. All the government offices are together.”

“Tell me where to turn,” Dean told him as he pulled from the parking lot. He hoped they’d have this case wrapped up in another day and they could maybe take a day to chill. He knew Sam was secretively researching a way to break his deal, but deep, deep down he didn’t think that would happen.

“Are we going to go see Zoe’s friend, Cara, once we’re done at DSS? Take a left at the light.”

“Yeah, it would probably be a good idea. Kids should be in school now, so we can talk to her without interference.”

**spn**

An older woman looked up from the pile of paperwork on her desk when the door to DSS opened and two young guys stepped in. She eyed them cautiously as they approached her.

“Can I help you?” she asked once they stopped.

“Yes ma’am.” Sam started. “We’re with a local news agency and wanted to do a piece on foster kids and the people like yourself who help them find a foster family.”

“Your job has got to be tough and it seems like you are unsung heroes who are overworked and underpaid,” Dean added getting a slight frown from Sam that he was laying it on a little thick.

“We would like to shed some light on foster care and hopefully get more people involved and want to be foster parents.”

“The need is great and there are so many children who need a foster home.”

“How long have you been doing this?” Dean asked.

“Almost twenty years and it hasn’t got any easier over the years. The need keeps growing but the foster parents don’t.”

“Do you have others who work with you Ms. Turner?” he asked reading her name on the plaque sitting on her desk, Gloria Turner. “You can’t be doing this on your own I hope,” Sam questioned as he scribbled in a small notebook like he was taking notes.

“Thank goodness no, Tina is out to lunch and our two newest social workers are at a workshop today,” she said.

“How long has Tina worked here?” Dean asked hoping to narrow the possible mother down to at least two.

“She’s been here ten years but has worked in the field just about as long as I have.”

“What would you do, if you could, to improve the system? I mean, we’ve all heard stories of bad situations for foster kids.”

“We need more social workers to take care of the increasing number of kids that are flooding our offices. Better background checks for prospective foster families, more home visits to check on the kids, more people who care about these kids.”

“Understandable for sure,” Dean commented trying to move this alone. He knew these people had a hard job and didn’t want to waste any more of her time. “And your co-workers at the workshop, do you think they would talk to us about why they chose this field and the education you need?”

“I’m sure Susan and Amy would be happy to. They’ll be back in the office tomorrow.”

“Thank you for your time, we’ll get started on the article and will come back to talk to Susan and Amy,” Sam said. He got up and quickly glanced around at the other desks in the large office. He saw the names Susan Waters and Amy Tate and wrote them down.

“Thank you for getting the word out there,” Gloria said shaking their hands.

The brothers left the office and made their way back to the stairs to take them to the ground level and the front doors. They headed back to the Impala and got in.

“At least we have names, think you can use your geek brain and figure out which one is the monster?”

“I might be able to. Maybe we can ask Cara who she talked to at DSS and who placed the kid with her.”

“I knew there was a reason I kept you around,” Dean teased to get a roll of his eyes from Sam. “So, where does this Cara person live?”

“It’s not far. She lives in a small housing development about ten miles away.”

“Alright navigator, show me the way.”

Sam snorted and pulled up the directions on his cell before relaying them to his brother. Dean got back out on the road and moved along with the traffic until it thinned out the closer he got to the residential area. Sam pointed to the next road letting Dean know that was where he needed to turn. They pulled up in front of a nice, two story house and parked.

“What are we going to tell her?” Sam asked not sure their cover story.

“We’re friends with Zoe and want to see if we can help,” Dean shrugged. It wasn’t a complete lie and figured they could get away with it. He ran the bell and waited for an answer. When no one came, he rang it again and finally noises could be heard behind the door.

The door opened and a young, sickly looking woman stared out at him.

“Hi, Cara?” Sam asked frowning as she wavered slightly.

“Are you alright?” Dean asked just before Cara suddenly crumbled to the floor. Dean knelt by her side and quickly felt for a pulse. It was weak, but there. He turned her body and moved her hair to see the same red mark on the back of her neck that was like the one on Amber’s neck.

“We need to get her to the emergency room,” Sam said seeing the mark too.

Dean scooped her into his arms and Sam closed her door before running after his brother. He opened the back door of the Impala and helped Dean scoot Cara onto the seat. They got in and Dean pulled away heading back toward the main part of the town to the hospital.

**spn**

“We need some help here!” Dean yelled as he carried Cara into the emergency room.

A nurse grabbed an orderly who got a gurney and Dean placed her on it. “What happened” the nurse asked.

“We went to visit her, and she collapsed at the door,” Dean told her.

“Are you family?”

“No, college friends. We were passing through town and stopped to visit,” Sam filled in.

“We’ll take it from here thanks, you can check back later if you want to see her,” the nurse told them before joining Cara and an orderly in a curtained off room.

“Let’s get out of here and go check those two social workers out,” Dean mumbled to Sam as he pulled him back toward the door. “We can’t do anything else for her.”

Sam nodded, but hated to leave Cara alone. He knew the only way to help her was to kill the mother changeling which would kill her children and save all the foster mothers out there.

**spn**

Dean opened the door to their motel room and spoke first. “Find the mother so we can light her up Sammy,” Dean said madly. “I don’t want to see any of these foster moms die, much less the kids the bitch is holding hostage.”

“I plan on it,” Sam replied going to his laptop and opening it up. He pulled up a search engine and began to investigate the lives of Susan Waters and Amy Tate. He scanned and typed, never taking his eyes off the screen.

Dean pulled out the parts to make a flame thrower for them to use to kill the mother changeling. He tightened a couple of screws and made sure the nozzle was clean before storing them back in the bag. Dean looked up when Sam suddenly straightened up with confident look on his face.

“Found her, it’s Amy Tate. She was active on social media and in running marathons up until a month ago and it’s like she disappeared from the scene. If the mother is a shapeshifter too, she could have taken the real Amy’s place as a social worker.”

“Do you have an address?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go stake her place out and see if she will lead us to where the kids are stashed.”

“Give me five minutes,” Sam told him. He wrote down the directions to her house before stepping to the bathroom.

Dean shouldered the backpack and waited for his brother to come out of the bathroom so they could leave. He didn’t have to wait long before Sam stepped out grabbing his jacket, nodding he was ready. They headed out the door and to the Impala. Sam read over the directions and they found the apartment building Amy Tate lived in.

“She drives a blue Honda and she’s got an assigned space. We can park over there and see the lot and the front door,” Sam suggested to Dean who pulled a lot nearby.

“How long should we wait?”

“If she’s at a workshop it should be over with either three or four and if she doesn’t make any stops coming home…I’d say she’d be here by five, at the latest.”

“How do you know random things like that?” Dean asked giving his brother a perplexed look.

Sam gave him a bitch face and ignored the question as he put his attention back to watching for Amy Tate. After fifteen minutes, Dean was fidgeting in his seat, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, and making weird noises with his mouth.

“Really?” Sam finally asked losing patience with him.

“Okay, that’s it; I’m going to scout out the area,” Dean decided getting out leaving Sam alone in the car. He walked down the sidewalk by the apartment building and doubled back watching the cars that passed. They had been there for nearly an hour and if Sam was right, she would be coming home any time now. He found a bench nearby and took a seat checking his watch for the time. He didn’t have to wait long when a blue Honda drove by and turned into the parking lot. Dean watched the car slowly drive around and park. A woman got out and opened the back to grab several bags before heading toward the building. He got up and made his way back to the car and dropped into the driver’s seat. “Let’s hope she decides go back out soon.”

“Maybe Cara’s foster kid will call her when he finds her gone,” Sam offered.

“Hey, check it out,” Dean said sitting up when Amy came running out of the door and to her car. “This is it.” He cranked the Impala and pulled to the exit waiting for the Honda to go by so he could follow.

“Don’t get too close,” Sam cautioned as he kept his eyes on the Honda watching it turn up ahead.

“I know,” Dean said. “I have done this before you know,” he replied sarcastically.

They followed the Honda across town to Cara’s house and watched as she went to the door to ring the bell. The door was opened by a young boy that looked eight or nine years old. She took him back to the car and left with the brothers following her. She led them to a warehouse district where she stopped and used a remote to open a side door pulling her car inside and closing it.

“That must be where she has them,” Dean said.

He parked beside another building and they got out. Sam grabbed the duffle and they headed for the warehouse to find a way inside. Dean picked the lock on a side door and checked for an alarm before carefully easing it open. Once they were inside, Sam opened the duffle and passed one of their make-shift flame throwers to Dean. He took the other and pulled out a lighter as he followed Dean into the building. They saw the car parked at the front of the space, but no sign of anyone. Dean nodded for him to go left as he went right to try and find where Amy and the child went.

The place was dark and musty smelling but seemed to be empty of any contents. It was lit only by a few emergency lights that didn’t help much. The brothers moved like ghosts through the empty building searching for any clues to where the changelings had gone.

Sam moved through the dimly lit building listening for noises that would guide him to the changelings. He heard something ahead of him and made ready to light his thrower as he moved closer. He didn’t find anything and continued, seeing some stairs going up and after looking around headed up them.

Dean checked the rooms as he moved by them but didn’t find anything in them. He kept to the shadows as he moved deeper into the building when he spotted stairs going down to another level. Thinking that would be a good place to stash the kids, he sent a quick text to his brother for him to find the stairs going down and join him. He took each step carefully, trying to be quiet as he reached the lower level.

He had only taken a couple of steps toward what looked like a lit room when a small shape suddenly attacked, knocking him backwards and dislodging his weapon. He went down hard, getting the breath knocked out him. Dean was able to use his bent knee to knock the boy back and was trying to scoot away when a whoosh of fire swept by him toward the boy. He watched as the child caught fire and stumbled backward screaming in rage before he burnt to ash.

“What did you do?” the mother changeling screeched as she attacked Sam sending him into a wall. She reached down to grab him by the neck but was stopped by Dean who had retrieved his flame thrower and lit it, engulfing her with fire. She tried to reach him as she stumbled his way only to be consumed by the flames before making it three steps. Ash floated through the air settling in a small pile on the floor.

“You okay bro?” Dean asked looking over at Sam as he tried to push himself up from the floor.

“Think so,” Sam grunted checking him arm hoping it wasn’t broken.

Dean kept the weapon ready to use and advanced toward the light with Sam following. They found crude cages with kids in them and in the last one was the real Amy Tate.

“Hold on guys, we’re going to get you out of here,” Dean told them looking at the cages and seeing locks chaining the doors closed. He looked around until he found a pipe and began to break the locks off.

Sam helped the kids out, seeing some were weak from being fed on. “Can you walk?” he asked Amy helping her to stand.

“I think so,” she whispered using the cages as support. “What happened to us?”

“The best thing you can do is tell the cops you were kidnapped and were able to get free,” Dean told her. “We’ll get you guys out of here and call the cops to come help you.”

“Thank you,” she said.

Sam picked one child that seemed the weakest up with his good arm while Dean got the kids moving toward the stairs. They made their way up the steps and guided the victims to the side door and got them outside.

“We’ll call the cops but can’t hang around until they get here,” Dean told Amy. “It would be a good idea that you forgot about us okay?”

“Are you sure? You saved our lives; don’t you want the recognition?”

“Nope, you take it. Just take care of yourself.”

The brothers headed back to the Impala and Sam put in a call to the locals so they would come and help Amy and the kids. Dean headed back to the motel so they could pack to leave town. The monster had been dealt with and it was time to leave. They packed quickly and drove toward the interstate heading toward Sioux Falls for now unless they ran across another hunt along the way.

**The End**

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This letter is in two parts and the second part will be posted tomorrow. I hope you like this creature I found and the hunt. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I do like to know your thoughts. NC**

**======================================================**

**D**

**Part I**

Dean rolled over and saw light streaming into the window of the bedroom he shared with his brother when they were at Bobby Singer’s home. He was like a surrogate father to them, had been since the death of their own father five years ago. He was a constant in their lives when they needed him and mentor and fellow hunter. Dean looked to the other twin bed and saw it was empty of his little brother. He figured Sam couldn’t sleep and was downstairs researching.

Ever since Death had put Sam’s soul back in his body and put up a wall to keep the memories of Hell from leaking through and driving him insane, Sam had been having bad dreams, sometimes nightmares that didn’t allow him to get much sleep. Dean could see it in his eyes at times when something would trigger a fleeting memory of the year he had been without a soul. He couldn’t remember what he had done during that time, and it made him distraught and depressed.

Dean begged him not the ‘ _scratch the itch’_ as Death put it because it could cause the wall to come down. Sam couldn’t stand not knowing what he had done during that time and the people he might have hurt, but he tried to do as Dean asked and not dwell on it. Sometimes it made for sleepless nights for Sam, but he took it all in stride.

After a shower, Dean headed to the kitchen to find Sam sitting at the table concentrating on his laptop screen, not even realizing Dean walked in.

“Hey, how long you been up?” Dean asked going to the coffee pot for his first cup of the day.

Sam startled for a second before hiding it. “Couldn’t sleep,” he mumbled not wanting to tell him the real reason.

Dean knew he wasn’t telling him something but didn’t press him about it. “Where’s Bobby?”

“Parts run. Should be back this afternoon.”

“What are you doing?” Dean asked since Sam hadn’t taken his eyes off his computer screen.

“Nothing,” Sam said quickly closing the laptop before Dean could see it. He couldn’t hide the guilty look on his face as he looked down at his clenched hands resting on the top of the laptop.

“Sammy, you have to stop it,” Dean sighed knowing exactly what he had been doing. “You know all that’s in the past now; you need to let it be. What have I told you?”

Sam didn’t say anything as he pinched his lips into a thin line knowing Dean was right, but it just didn’t feel right to him. From what he had found out, he had been almost like a robot when he had no soul. He was goal oriented and didn’t care what he had to do to get the job done. He had no conscious and didn’t care that he hurt others. Once they found out what was wrong with him, Dean had tried to keep him on the right path and not let him stray. It was hard since there were no true feelings for Dean as a brother during that time.

“I know,” Sam whispered not able to look him in the eye.

“Why don’t we head into town and grab some breakfast and get some supplies? Bobby’s running a little short since we’ve been here nearly a week.”

“Alright, let me go to the bathroom,” Sam replied. He pushed his chair back and headed for the stairs taking his laptop with him. He didn’t want Dean to check it to see what he had been looking at.

Dean watched his brother leave and it didn’t get by him he took his laptop with him. He didn’t know what to do to make Sam see that he couldn’t keep doing this. He wasn’t sure how strong the wall that Death had built was and he didn’t want Sam tearing it down and all those memories to come pouring out into his mind. He wasn’t sure his brother would be able to handle them. He had spent nearly two centuries trapped in the cage with Lucifer and Michael who were pissed and took all their anger out on him, torturing him relentlessly. He knew what that was like since he had spent forty years in Hell being tortured by demons. He stowed away his own memories and thoughts when he heard Sam clomping back down to steps.

“I’m ready,” Sam called to him as he put on his jacket and waited at the door.

Dean picked up his jacket off the couch and got it on and headed out the door with Sam following. He didn’t try to make conversation with him because he knew it wouldn’t do any good. He drove into town and to the diner so they could have breakfast before shopping.

“Besides looking for Eve, have you found anything that might be a hunt?” Dean asked after ordering and being sure no one was listening to them.

“Maybe, I need to look into it a little more first,” Sam replied sipping on his coffee while they waited for their food.

“Good, we can at least continue hunting until something turns up on the bitch.”

“Yeah, I’ll know if it’s our thing by this afternoon, and we can make plans to check it out.”

“Here you go,” the waitress said. She placed plates at each brother and refilled their coffee, questioning if they needed anything else before going to check on another table.

“God bless whoever gave us bacon,” Dean hummed as he bit off a huge chunk.

“That will clot your arteries for an early death,” Sam added as he cut a bite of pancakes.

“You don’t know what’s good Sammy.”

They finished their breakfast and headed to the store to restock for Bobby before heading back to the salvage yard. Dean put the food away and let Sam finish his research, so he’d know if they had a case. He had been in one place long enough and needed to get back out there. He did their laundry and by the time lunch rolled around, Sam was certain what he had found was a case for them. He happily got out the makings for sandwiches for lunch and was already planning for them to head out after they ate. He would text Bobby they were leaving and not sure when they would be back his way.

**spn**

The traffic was moving at a steady pace on Interstate 90. Dean was going to pick up Highway 83 to head south for Perryton, Texas. Sam had found articles about strange deaths and people seeming to go insane for no apparent reason. The bodies of the victims had been eaten and the blood drained from them. The locals had no suspects for the killings yet. It was going to be about a nineteen-hour drive, so he was going to stop somewhere along the way for the night.

The steady humming of the tires and the gentle sway of the car had Sam fighting to stay awake. Since he didn’t have a restful sleep the night before, it wasn’t long before he was nodding off and jerking himself awake after only a few minutes. Dean looked over at him as he flayed suddenly and looked around before settling again. He watched Sam’s eyes shut again and gently pushed him sideways, so he was leaning against the side window, snoring softly.

“Hey Sammy, stopping for gas; you need to use the restroom or get something to drink?” Dean asked after giving Sam’s leg a shake to wake him.

“I’m ‘wake…” he grunted as he shifted in his seat to sit up and look around. Sam shook himself awake and wiped his face as Dean slowed to exit off the highway. It took him a moment before he was able to see clearly as the snippets of a dream still lingered in his head.

“You think you can drive a few hours?” Dean asked as he pulled into the truck stop.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Sam nodded thinking some caffeine might be a good idea to keep him going. He waited for Dean to stop at the pumps before getting out and heading inside. He looked for the sign for the restrooms and headed that way first.

Dean filled the Impala and moved her to the side so he could go inside and use the restroom and get something to drink. He saw Sam getting a coffee and granola bars while he made his way to the restroom. After finishing up, Dean went to the cooler section and picked a drink and grabbed a bag of beef jerky before heading for the cashier. He went out and found Sam leaning against the car waiting on him. Dean tossed the keys his way and went around to the passenger side to get in.

Sam dropped into the driver’s seat and got comfortable before cranking her and pulling out of the lot and heading back to the interstate. He sipped on the coffee and opened the bars to eat them once he settled in a lane behind another vehicle that he could keep pace with. He found some music to his liking since he was driving and got to pick what they listened to this time. Dean grunted his dislike but didn’t say anything since he was the one who set the rule.

Sam drove longer since Dean dozed off and didn’t want to wake him. When he saw they were going to need gas again, he woke him to see if he wanted to go ahead and stop.

“Bro, wake up,” Sam called to him shaking his arm.

Dean jerked awake instantly and was ready to fight. He realized where he was and let his body relax and looked around.

“We’re going to need gas again soon; do you want to stop?” Sam asked.

“How long have you been driving?”

“Almost five hours. You went to sleep, and I was okay to drive.”

“Where are we?”

“On 83 in Nebraska.”

Dean pictured the states in his mind and checked his watch before looking at the gas gauge. “Yeah, might as well find an exit that has gas, food and a motel.”

“Alright, I’ll start checking the signs.”

Dean settled down awake now and looked at the signs too wanting to help find an exit. He glanced sideways at Sam and could tell he was tired, but not exhausted which was good. He would have kicked his ass if he drove his Baby in an unsafe condition.

They saw the sign at the same time and Sam moved over into the right lane so he could exit the highway. They would get a motel, turn in early and get an early start in the morning. Since Sam had driven longer than Dean expected, he figured they would be to Perryton, Texas by mid-afternoon the following day. That would give them time to get a room and go visit the locals and hopefully the morgue to see what they could find out.

**spn**

Dean drove through the town which was like so many they had visited to check a case out. He found the police station outside the business district and saw signs for the hospital four miles away. Once he got his bearings, he headed for a quaint motel a few miles away to get a room.

Sam studied the people they drove by, and the type of businesses that seemed the most popular knowing gossip spread quicker in the local hangouts. He got out at the motel and went in to get them a room for a few days. He came back out and motioned Dean around the side of the building to a room on the first floor.

Dean parked in front of the room and went to the trunk to get his duffle and the suit bag with their FBI suits in it. He hated playing dress up, but they had to look the part to gather the information needed for the case. He waited for Sam to get his bag before closing the trunk and going to their room.

Sam opened the door and let Dean go in first to check it out and followed him inside. It was decorated in soft colors with a western theme. At least it was better than some they had stayed at over the years growing up. He shuttered to think about some of the dirty, rundown, barely livable rooms their Dad had dumped them when he took off on a hunt. At least now they could choose their own places and tried to keep it cheap, but clean and small.

“Let’s get changed so we can go see the locals and hopefully get to the morgue and see the bodies,” Dean told him dropping his bags on the bed nearest the door. He unzipped the suit bag and pulled out the suits and shirts, picking his out and laying Sam’s on his bed. “Dibs on bathroom first.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Sam said with a wave of his hand. He opened his duffle to dig around for different shoes to go with the suit. At least the suit was clean, and he had replaced his shirt and tie since they were getting worn. He sent Bobby a text that they had arrived and were going to check with the local cops.

Sam knew Bobby was worried about him even thought he was still wary around him since he did try to kill him to keep his soul from being put back in his body. It was something he’d rather not have known but tricked Castiel into telling him what he did when he was soulless. He sat on the bed and waited his turn trying to ignore the beginnings of an annoying tiny itch in his head that wouldn’t go away. Some days it was worse than others, but he tried to keep it from Dean.

“Your turn Samantha; don’t take all day,” Dean said.

“Funny,” Sam grunted grabbing his clothes and heading into the bathroom.

Dean found his other shoes and slipped them on. He checked his gun before settling it in the small of his back and made sure he had a couple of knives and paperclips. They had learned from experience it was best to go in prepared since neither knew what might happen.

When Sam finally came out, Dean put on his suit jacket and handed him his fake FBI credentials. Once Sam armed himself, they left for the police station. The drive over didn’t take long since the traffic was still light. Dean found visitor parking and pulled the Impala into an empty spot. They got out and straightened their jackets and ties before heading for the front doors.

A middle-aged woman dressed in a uniform, sat at a desk in the front and looked up as they walked in. She looked them over before speaking. “May I help you?”

“Agents Shaw and Wilson, FBI. We’d like to speak with the person in charge of the recent deaths you’ve had around here,” Dean spoke as he pulled his badge out and showed her.

She looked at the two badges presented before her and then at their faces. “If you’ll have a seat, I’ll get someone to help you.” She waited until they sat before disappearing to the back through a door that must have led to the offices.

Sam looked around and saw chairs against a wall and nodded to Dean. They went over and sat down to wait on whoever was going to talk to them. Sam let his eyes wander around taking in the wanted posters that filled a case on one wall. He looked to a bulletin board where events for the community were posted. They looked back toward the desk when the woman came back with a man that didn’t look like a cop, dressed in a slightly rumbled suit. He reminded Sam of their father in his stoic, hard to read face and body language. This was someone that you didn’t want as your enemy, he was sure of that.

The brothers stood when the man approached them.

“Hello, I’m Detective Savich, how can I help you?” the older man asked.

“Detective, I’m Agent Shaw and this is my partner Agent Wilson.” Dean introduced them. “We’re here to look into the recent murders and strange happenings with the townsfolk.”

“I don’t remember contacting the FBI about the cases,” Savich commented.

“We just go where our bosses tell us sir. He doesn’t like his orders questioned.”

“I see,” he said looking at the two agents for a moment before continuing. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to have extra eyes on the case, come with me.”

Dean and Sam followed Detective Savich through the door behind the front desk and down a hall to a larger room that had desks scattered about and offices on the side. He stepped into an office and they joined, taking seats he motioned to.

“What can you tell us about the victims Detective?” Sam asked once they were seated. He took out a pad to take notes.

“We’ve found four bodies so far, and I have to say this is not your typical serial killer or any killer that I’ve seen,” he said sitting back in his chair. “The medical examiner tells me all the blood was drained from their bodies and…” He stopped almost like he was afraid to say the rest.

“Go on,” Sam urged.

“He says it looked like someone took chunks out of them. Not with a weapon but tore chunks from them with their teeth.” Savich paused to watch the reaction between the two agents and frowned slightly when he saw a look pass between the pair. He was sure they knew more than they were telling and planned to get to the bottom of this.

“We’d like to see the bodies,” Dean stated, his expression remaining neutral.

“They’re at the morgue at the hospital.”

“Could we get a copy of your reports on the victims so we can look them over please?” Sam asked trying to be polite.

“Of course,” Savich agreed picking up his phone and speaking quietly into it before turning back to the agents. “You will keep me in the loop if you find out anything, correct?”

“Yes. Did you find any links to the victims?” Dean asked.

“And what about the ones that seemed to go insane? Did they visit any of the same places? Knew any of the same people? Did they know any of the ones that were killed?” Sam questioned.

“No more than usual. This isn’t that big of a town, but there never was any definite connections but that a couple used to work for a man, Stuart Wynn, several years ago until he died. But that was before my time as detective here. Susie at the front will have those files for you. Nice to meet you,” he said ending their conversation.

“Thank you Detective Savich. We’ll be in touch if we find anything out,” Dean said. He shook his hand feeling a strong, hard grip that was held longer than needed. He saw something in the man’s eyes that told him they needed to be careful around him.

“Detective,” Sam nodded as he got up to follow Dean from the room.

Susie was waiting on them at the front desk and gave Sam a flash drive with the open murder cases and the unexplained insanity of the other people. They thanked her and left wanting to get to the morgue so they could call it a day and go over what they had. Dean was hoping they could spot something the locals missed and it would point them to the monster that was doing this.

They didn’t have that far to drive to the hospital and Dean headed around to the back where bodies were brought in instead of going through the hospital to get to the morgue. He found a place to park and got out to head inside with Sam close behind him.

The coldness hit them as soon as they opened to door marked morgue and Sam shivered once as he prepared himself for the visit. They pushed through a set of double doors and found the autopsy room that was even colder. There were three desks along one wall with three stainless steel tables positioned in the middle of the room. Each table was polished and tilted slightly to allow water to run off and into the drain in the floor at the end of each one. There were lines running across the ceiling and hanging down at each table to allow the body to be washed before the autopsy would be performed. At the back wall were a dozen small doors that were storage for the bodies.

“May I help you?” an older man asked. He stepped from a storage room and had several boxes of gloves in his hands that he placed at the examination table.

“We’re with the FBI and are helping out on the murder cases you’ve had recently,” Dean explained pulling out his badge to flash at the coroner.

“I see, I suppose you’ll want copies of my findings too?”

“Yes, please. That would be great.”

“I’ll show you the bodies and while you’re looking at them, I get those reports ready.”

He led them across the room and opened a door and pulled out the tray from inside showing a body draped in a white sheet. When he had four out, he stepped back allowing them access. They grabbed gloves and slipped them on before examining the bodies.

“Hope you’ve got a strong stomach,” he commented before walking away.

Dean moved to the first one and pulled the sheet down revealing a male body, at least what was left of it. The skin was pale and as he pulled the sheet lower, they could see huge sections of flesh had be bitten off. Sam pulled out his cell and snapped photos of the bite marks. One arm had been stripped of all the meat leaving only the bone and small clumps of flesh. His chest was ripped open and it looked like his organs were torn from it. What flesh still clinging to the bones was sickly, pale looking with ragged, frayed edges that no weapon could have made.

He moved to another and found about the same thing, though more of the flesh was missing along the thighs and abdomen region. One section looked like claw marks racked down the center of the man’s body splitting it open. Dean pointed it out and had Sam take more photos. He had seen enough death in his time, but this was brutal, vicious, cruel and ruthless. It was a savage attack. They looked at the other two bodies and took photos before returning them to the cubicles and closing the doors. They snapped off the gloves and both were in a somber mood when the coroner came back.

“Here you go gentlemen. I hope you catch this monster before he can strike again,” the coroner told them giving them a file folder with his autopsy reports on the bodies.

“Thank you for your help and we do too,” Sam replied taking the folder.

**spn**

Dean bit into his cheeseburger as he read the autopsy reports not finding much difference in each of the reports. He was sure it was the same monster that had killed all four victims. They just needed to find out what it was and kill it.

“You find anything over there Sammy?”

Sam looked up from reading the screen on his laptop and blanked out for a moment before blinking quickly and replying.

“Remember Savich said several of the victims used to work for the same employer, a Stuart Wynn?”

“Yeah, did you find something else?”

“The other two had connections to him too. One was a bartender at a bar that Wynn frequented, and another worked at a dry cleaners he used. I did some checking on this Wynn guy and he wasn’t a very nice person. He was a slave driver to his employees and accused everyone of cheating him. He was a greedy man, and no one was upset when he died.”

“How did he die?”

“Heart attack. He was too stingy to have regular checkups. Thought all doctors were quacks and never took care of himself from what I can find.”

“I would say he’s a vengeful spirit, but they don’t usually eat their victims.”

“I agree.”

“Should we salt and burn his body anyway?”

“It says he was entombed in a mausoleum in the town cemetery, but I don’t think it would do any good. This is something else entirely. What if it’s one of Eve’s creations or maybe some monster we’ve never seen before that has woken up. I think we should do a little more research tonight and go check out the cemetery tomorrow.”

“Go for it geek boy, I need a shower.” Dean threw away his trash and grabbed sleep clothes from his duffle before strolling into the bathroom.

Sam huffed softly and went back to reading the information on the screen as he searched for more information. He started building a search program with key words to see what it would pull up and hoped he would get lucky. Sam rubbed his tired, burning eyes deciding to take a short break while his program ran. He scribbled a short note, _‘gone_ _for walk’_ before grabbing his jacket and the key for the room and heading outside to get some fresh air.

There was a cool breeze blowing through the parking lot as Sam stepped from the walkway and strolled across the parking lot. He hunched in his jacket and buttoned a couple of buttons to stay warmer. It was dark outside and the lights from the businesses shone brightly around him. He walked toward the convenience store that was farther down the street to grab some Gatorades and a snack. His mind was still working as he pictured the ravaged bodies lying in the morgue while he sorted through the monsters that he thought fit the bill, but always ran into a snag that made them not fit the profile. He was still mulling over things when he pushed open the door and went in heading for the coolers to get drinks.

He was leaning over trying to find the flavor he liked when he heard the bell buzz that someone else had come in the store. Sam froze when he heard a loud voice and then a frightened voice. He snuck around the rack of treats and saw a guy with a gun demanding the money from the cashier. He didn’t hesitate when he made his move.

“Drop!” Sam yelled to the cashier as he threw a bottle of Gatorade at the robber hitting him in the back of the head. The robber fell and the gun went off missing the cashier by inches as he dove behind the counter. Sam was on the guy and disarmed him, pinning his arm behind his back. “Call the cops,” he ordered the scared cashier who peeked out from behind the counter.

The cashier pulled out his cell and dialed 911 and reported the attempted robbery. “Hey thanks man,” he told Sam.

“Do you have some rope or duct tape?”

“Yeah, hold on,” he replied. The cashier dug around and handed a roll of duct tape to him.

Sam wrapped the tape around the guys wrists and ankles before standing back up. He took the gun and removed the clip and ejected the bullet in the chamber before laying both on the counter. “If you’ll check me out, you can handle this until the cops get here.” He grabbed his Gatorades and candies laying them on the counter.

“Hey man, after what you did…Take it. Don’t you want to stay around and tell the cops what happened?”

“No, that’s fine, you can do that. Thanks,” Sam said. He took the bag and quickly left not wanting to be there when the cops showed up. He walked quickly back to the motel and turned into the parking lot when a cop car raced by with its sirens blaring.

“Hey, what’s with the cops?” Dean asked when he stepped inside the room.

“Convenience store was robbed,” Sam shrugged sitting the bag down and tossing Dean a small bag of peanut M&Ms.

“What did you do?” Dean questioned cautiously.

“Hit him in the head with a bottle of Gatorade,” Sam mumbled innocently with a shrug of his shoulders.

“That’s my boy!”

“Wasn’t a big deal,” Sam grunted sitting back down at the laptop to see if it came up with anything. There were numerous results, but he didn’t feel like reading any more tonight after his run in with the robber. He saved the material deciding to review it in the morning. He was tired from the drive and his adrenaline rush that was wearing off. “I’m going to get ready for bed.”

“You okay Sammy?”

“Yeah, just a little tired.”

Dean didn’t say anything else as he watched Sam close the door of the bathroom ending the conversation. He didn’t think that was all of it but was going to let it drop. He went back to watching the television thinking he would turn in soon too.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I hope you are enjoying the hunt and like the outcome. Thank you for reading and comments would be great. NC**

* * *

**D**

**Part Two**

Faces flashed through Sam’s mind of women that he didn’t know, yet, somehow, he did. Sam gasped for air as he sat up suddenly in bed and worked hard on drawing in a strangled breath. He realized the women were one night stands he had had when he was soulless. It seemed his sexual urges were completely opposite during that time. His face reddened and he wiped a sheen of sweat from his face knowing he wasn’t a nice person back then. He let the pain in his head ease before swinging his legs off the bed and sitting on the edge. Sam looked to the other bed and saw Dean move around and turn over but not wake.

Once he thought he could stand without stumbling, Sam got up and quietly went to the bathroom knowing he wouldn’t be getting any more sleep. It was still dark outside, but dawn wasn’t that far off. Sam stepped back into the room and moved to the table to open his laptop so he could review the articles pulled up from his search. He settled in the chair and sipped on some water as he began to read.

Dean rolled over as he started waking up just after dawn. He glanced at the bed across from him and saw it empty and went on full alert scanning the room; only relaxing when he saw Sam at the table on his laptop. He laid back down for another minute letting his fear dissolve before allowing himself to get up. He didn’t want Sam seeing that he almost lost it when he thought he was gone because of another crack in the wall.

“Hey,” Sam said. “I think I know what we’re hunting.”

“Really, how long you been up?” Dean asked.

“A while,” Sam shrugged. “So, I went through what the search program gave me and after eliminating the unlikely ones I have one left.”

“Don’t leave me hanging, what is it?” Dean asked when Sam didn’t continue.

“A draugr,” Sam said. He was happy to have narrowed it down and now they could prepare themselves for the battle.

Dean looked at him with a blank expression, waiting for Sam to say more.

“You’ll have to give me more than that,” Dean prompted.

“The name means, _one who walks after death_. It’s from Norse mythology. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one here, but with Eve walking around there’s been a lot of unknown monsters popping up lately. One article said a person who is mean, nasty, and greedy in life could turn into one in death. I’m thinking maybe this Wynn guy came back as one and killed those people thinking they cheated or wronged him in some way. It kills with brute force before eating its victims and drinking their blood, sound familiar? A draugr usually is found in a graveyard but can leave it in a plume of smoke before taking on humanoid shape. It has the stench of decay. It can also drive a person mad, thus the people that went nuts around here. So, lore says it can shapeshift, see the future, change weather, and enter the dreams of the living. It’s usually only active at night.”

“That’s all good but how do we kill it?” Dean asked getting impatient with the facts about the monster.

“Iron can injure but won’t kill it, along with silver weapons and fire. From what I read the only way is a hero can kill it with a silver sword. But to be sure it stays dead, the head needs to be cut off, body burned, and the ashes tossed into a large body of water.”

“Great, how do we find a hero?” Dean asked throwing up his hands in frustration.

“Dude, did you forget?” Sam asked in surprise. “You are the _Righteous Man_ ; you’ve saved how many lives and the world. I don’t know anyone else I would call a hero.”

Dean turned and looked back at his brother with a frown as he thought about it. He didn’t consider himself a hero of any kind and was surprised his brother did.

“All we have to find for you is a silver sword,” Sam went on as he typed on the keyboard and watched the screen.

“Well, I’m hungry. After I change let’s go grab some breakfast and then we’ll hunt down a silver sword.”

“Yeah, okay,” Sam mumbled as his eyes moved back and forth quickly reading the screen.

Dean dug out clothes and headed for the bathroom to change. He did his usual routine and changed before stepping out into the other room. “Sammy, food, eat, like now.”

“Alright, I’m coming,” he huffed knowing Dean’s tone and got his clothes to put on. He changed and was out of the bathroom as Dean opened the door to head out. He grabbed his jacket and hurried after him, mumbling to himself about him being too impatient.

They headed for the diner that was in town since the lunch they had there was good. The diner was over half full and Sam nudged Dean when he saw Detective Savich sitting at a table having breakfast. He hadn’t seen them yet which was fine with them. They were seated and glanced at the menu placing their orders. Both looked up when Savich stopped at their table.

“Agents, I see you found one of our more popular places to eat,” he said.

“Detective,” Dean said. “Yeah, lunch was good, we thought we’d try breakfast.”

“You won’t be disappointed. Have you had any break throughs on the cases?”

“We’re following up on a few leads,” Sam told him trying to not act nervous.

Savich eyed them closely for a moment before bidding them goodbye and to enjoy their meal. Sam let out the breath he was holding and tried to relax and sipped on his coffee as they waited for their food to be brought out.

“Not sure he bought that or not,” Dean said. “Think he’ll be a problem?”

“I hope not. I think he’ll be a hard one to take down. He seems…More aware and smarter than a lot of locals we’ve dealt with.”

“Here you go gentlemen,” the waitress announced sitting a tray on a stand so she could divide their food between them and refresh their coffees. “Is there anything else you need?”

“No, I think we’re good,” Dean told her as he picked up his utensils to begin eating. He hummed to himself as he bit into a slice of bacon. 

“Dude, it’s only bacon.”

“Bite your tongue!”

“Would you like to be alone with your food?”

“Bite me.”

“No thanks, my omlette will do me just fine.”

“Just offering.”

They finished their meal and got coffees to go before heading back to the motel. Sam wanted to finish up his search for a sword so hopefully they could stop the draugr before it took any more victims. He was not taking any chances with a silver coated sword and wanted a pure silver one which was a little harder to find. He was finding knives but thought they wouldn’t be enough to stop it. It took him another hour before he finally hit pay dirt.

“I think I’ve found a sword,” Sam said.

“Where?”

“In Amarillo, a little over an hour away. There’s a guy there that has a collection of Middle Age items and swords are listed.”

“Think he’ll let us borrow one for a day?”

“That’s the closest I can find, might as well go see,” Sam said writing down the address and directions before getting up to grab his jacket.

**spn**

The Impala rolled through a neighborhood with huge houses, gated driveways, walls around the property until they found the address they needed. Dean found a place to park his Baby that was hidden and hopefully would be safe. Sam called the number he found online for the owner but didn’t get an answer. They found a place to go over the wall and dropped silently down on the other side.

Dean moved around the trees and bushes looking for any yard workers or staff that might be there. He stopped and held his hand up to Sam to stop too as he surveyed the house for any signs of the owner being there. Sam pulled out binoculars and checked the place out, pausing at each window looking of life inside. They waited thirty minutes and didn’t see any movement in or around the house. They pulled out bandanas and covered their faces in case of outside cameras. Dean led them around to the back of the huge house and looked for the electrical and alarm boxes. Sam was lookout as he worked his magic to bypass the alarm so they could get inside.

Sam handed Dean thin gloves to put on so they wouldn’t leave any prints behind. He slipped his on before checking for a place to break in. He found a window for the laundry room and removed the screen using a knife for the lock. He boosted his long body into the room and fell to the floor, rolling out of the way as Dean was just as graceful and flopped down beside him. They waited and listened, trying to detect any movement inside. Once Dean deemed it was clear, he led the way into the kitchen looking for extra security cameras.

“His collection is kept in a room on the first floor,” Sam whispered.

“Got it,” Dean replied going to the door and looking both ways before moving left down a hall. He checked the rooms along the way until he hit pay dirt and found the collection. There were suits of armor, shields, ancient weapons of all kinds and swords.

Sam hurried to the swords on display on one wall and looked them over before choosing one and looking at it closely. He handed it to Dean who hefted it and swung it through the air testing for balance. He nodded his approval it would do. Sam looked at the other swords wondering if he should borrow another to be on the safe side. Deciding it was better to play it safe, he grabbed another making sure it was silver and nodded he was ready to go.

They back tracked being sure to replace what they knocked to the floor and squeezed out the window. Sam pulled it down and replaced the screen while Dean removed the alligator clips on the alarm. With the swords in hand, they made their way to the wall and Dean gave Sam a boost before handing him the swords and took a few steps back so he could run at the wall and launch himself up to catch the top and pull himself on top of the wall. Sam grabbed his belt and helped him to the top. They dropped to the other side and hurried to the Impala, storing the swords in the trunk.

“We might as well have an early dinner and try to get a nap before staking out the cemetery and try to catch this thing before it can kill again,” Dean said.

“Alright, are we going to hang around here if we do take it out tonight?”

“Nope, we’re getting the hell out of Dodge. We’ll head back to Bobby’s and check for hunts along the way. You know what Dad taught us, once a hunt is done, don’t hang around.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Sam mumbled looking out the side window as memories flashed in his head. It still made him sad to think about their Dad who had died years ago before he got to really talk to him and apologize for the fight they had.

**spn**

Traffic moved along at a steady pace putting them back in Perryton late afternoon. Dean drove to the diner again for their meal. He wanted to try a slice of their homemade pie for dessert hoping it was as good as the rest of the food they had eaten there. He pulled into the parking lot that was almost empty and found a place to park.

“I can’t wait to try their pie. Maybe I’ll have it first,” Dean mumbled more to himself that Sam.

“Why don’t you just have a whole pie?” Sam asked knowing his brother’s love of pie and wanted to tease him.

“Don’t tempt me. We have a hunt tonight, so I need to watch what I eat. You too.”

“Why me?”

“Because sometimes what you get makes you fart, and I don’t wanna be smelling it tonight.”

“Jerk!” Sam hissed, shocked he said that out loud and looked around to be sure no one heard Dean.

“Well, its true bitch,” Dean replied as he waited for the hostess to seat them.

They ate their meal and Dean couldn’t praise the pie enough and even brought a slice back with him to the motel. Sam didn’t know where he put what he ate and had room for another slice of pie. He had a doggie bag for his leftovers to snack on later.

Dean plopped down on his bed and turned on the television while Sam decided to take a shower before laying down. He got out clothes for the hunt that night and packed everything else to be ready to leave. He took his time in the shower and when he came back out Dean was asleep. He turned off the television and lights before slipping into his bed to try and nap. Sam set his cell to wake him to be sure they didn’t oversleep. Dean’s internal clock worked well but he didn’t want to take any chances. He listened to the sounds around him and let his brother’s soft snoring lull him to sleep.

**spn**

“Wake up Sammy, time to get ready,” Dean called to him slapping his leg in passing.

Sam jerked awake and grabbed his cell to turn off the alarm that started sounding. He lay there a moment letting his body wake up before getting up and sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked over at Dean to see he had taken a shower since his hair was damp. He was uneasy that he had slept that hard and not heard him.

“I made coffee,” Dean told him as he shoved clothes into his duffle and looked around to be sure he didn’t miss anything.

“I just need to change clothes,” Sam replied picking up the ones he had laid out earlier. He headed into the bathroom to get ready knowing all he had to do was pack his sleep clothes and grab his bathroom bag and he’d be ready to go.

There was a coffee waiting on him when he came out and Sam drank part of it before following his brother to the car. They turned in their room and headed across town to the outskirts where a large cemetery was located. Darkness had fallen across the land and Dean parked away from several outside lights that were near the gate to the place. They got out and went around to the trunk to gear up. Both had silver bullets in their guns and Dean had a pack with lighter fluid, salt, collapsible shovel, and garbage bag to use after the draugr was dead. They would have to drive a few miles to find a large body of water to throw the ashes in.

A twig broke behind them and instinct took over, both brothers swung around with guns drawn pointing in the direction of the sound ready to do battle.

“Stand down, agents,” a familiar voice said. Detective Savich stepped closer with his hands in the air until they lowered their guns.

“What are you doing here?” Dean asked, not happy about his presence.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he countered. “Are those swords? And what do you plan on doing with them?”

Dean and Sam had picked up the swords just before he spoke and looked at each other trying to decide what to do.

“It would be better if you just turned around and left and forget you ever saw us here,” Dean told him.

“You really don’t want to know,” Sam added, thinking they were wasting their time. Savich wasn’t going to let this drop and Sam knew it.

“How ‘bout I decide after you tell me why you’re at a cemetery in the middle of the night with swords and whatever else you’ve got in your bag.”

“Things aren’t always as the appear Detective. My brother and me have a job to do to stop anyone else from being killed. I really don’t think you want to know.”

“I’m getting the feeling you two aren’t FBI agents, are you?”

“No, we’re hunters,” Dean said. “What killed those people isn’t human and we plan on stopping it.”

“Then it’s some type of animal and you think it’s in the cemetery?” Savich questioned.

“No, it’s not an animal, it’s a monster, a draugr, to be precise,” Sam told him.

Savich frowned at Sam’s words and looked at the brothers for a moment unsure what to say.

“Look Detective, we need to find this monster before it leaves the cemetery if we’re going to stop it. Now you can step aside and let us do our job or arrest us and if someone else dies tonight their blood will be on your hands,” Dean stated. He only waited a moment before nodding to Sam they should go.

“Wait, I’m coming with you,” Savich replied. “Maybe I can help.”

Dean stopped as he started to close the trunk of the Impala and looked back at him. He could see the look of determination in his eyes and knew there was no talking him out of it.

“Fine, but you’ll need some of these,” Dean said handing him a clip of silver bullets. “What you have in your gun will only make it angry.”

Savich accepted the clip and looked at it for a moment before removing his gun and exchanging the clip with the new one. He followed the brothers into the cemetery wondering just what they were going to be up against and what a draugr was.

“The crypt is in the middle of this place,” Sam told Dean as he shone a light around to get his bearings. He headed in what he thought was the right direction with the others following.

“It has to take human form before it can be killed,” Sam told Savich when he stepped up beside him. “You can’t hesitate, or it will kill you.”

“Silver bullets will hurt it but won’t kill it. If our research is right, I should be able to do that with the sword.”

“Sounds like you’ve done something like this before.”

“It’s our jobs, sort of the family business you could say.”

Sam saw mausoleums ahead of him and was about the check them out when a swirling cloud of smoke began to come from the one off to the right. He watched it and knew this was their monster.

“Dean, it’s here,” Sam called pulling his gun and holding the sword in his left hand. He watched as the smoke swirled and spun in and out on itself as a solid shape started taking form. By the time Dean and Savich got there, the draugr had turned into a seven-foot creature. Its skin was almost mummified like leather covering its skeleton frame. Rags hung from its desiccated body and long, sharp claws extended from the fingers of its hands that he held up slightly as if ready to do battle. Its eyes glowed a ghostly bluish white and was sunken into its skull. They locked onto Sam and an unearthly scream tore from its mouth.

“Holy shit!” Savich exclaimed when he laid eyes on the creature that was worse than any horror movie he had seen. He wasn’t sure what to do as he gripped his gun tightly in his hand and pointed it at the monster.

“Stay back,” Dean warned as he stepped toward the monster his sword clenched tightly in his hand ready to do battle.

The wind began to pick up around them and whistle among the treetops surrounding the cemetery. Flashes of lightening could be seen off in the distance and seemed to be bearing down on them.

The draugr was fast and charged Sam as he brought his gun up to fire. Several shots rang, one hit the monster in the arm and the other went wild. He didn’t get a chance to fire before Sam was caught by a clawed hand and thrown backwards into the tome stones. He landed hard on the rock stone and bones were broken and blood ran. His sword was knocked from his grip, but he tried to pull himself back up to fight, only to fall back down as a bout of dizziness overtook him.

Dean let out a roar of rage when he saw Sam being tossed aside like a rag doll. His anger boiled inside of him as he unloaded his gun into the draugr, making each shot count. All he was able to do was make the monster stumble back a few steps and divert his attention on him instead of his brother. He shifted the sword and made his stand.

“C’mon you piece of shit. You’re not getting by me,” he growled at him as the draugr eyed him for a moment before stepping closer.

More shots were fired making the creature bellow in rage as one eye was destroyed and part of his arm was blown away. Savich ran toward Sam and saw the sword where it fell. Sam fell back to the ground unconscious as blood ran from a head wound down his face. The claws had ripped long gashes down his arm and across his stomach. Savich dropped his empty gun and picked up the sword and headed for the creature from the side hoping to get in a blow while Dean had him distracted.

Dean swung hard connecting with an arm and severing it at the elbow as he danced away before it could catch him with his other clawed hand. He was surprised to see Savich had Sam’s sword and swung at the monster burying it into his side making it scream in pain. He was knocked down but got back up. Dean took the distraction to move in and drive the sword upward into the draugr’s head and out the top. It gurgled and cried out before toppling over to the ground. Knowing what needed to be done, Dean removed the sword and in two chops cut the head off making sure it was dead. He stood back panting hard and realized Sam wasn’t there.

“Sammy?” Dean yelled looking around.

“Over there,” Savich called back. He was making his way back to Sam to check on him.

“Let me,” Dean insisted kneeling down by Sam and carefully turning him over. He used his flashlight to see what damage had been done and knew it wasn’t good. Sam was bleeding too much and knew he only had one hope.

“I’ll call an ambulance,” Savich offered pulling out his cell.

“Don’t bother. We have our own doctor on call. Cas, we need you. Sammy’s hurt bad. You gotta get here,” Dean prayed opening his eye when he was done.

A flutter of wings behind them had Savich turning to see a stranger dressed in a suit and trench coat quickly making his way to them. He went on the defensive until Dean spoke.

“He’s a friend Savich, stand down. Sam’s been hurt Cas; can you fix him?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Castiel said. He knelt by Sam and laid a hand on his forehead as he let his grace flow into him. A blue light glowed in the darkness around Sam’s face and Castiel mended the broken bones and closed the gashes on his friend.

Sam began to stir under his hand, and he pulled it away. “He should be alright now. Just a little weak from blood loss.”

“Thanks Cas. Sammy you okay?” Dean asked as he helped him to stand on wobbly legs. He kept a firm hold on his arm when Sam swayed slightly.

“Yeah, thanks Cas,” he mumbled feeling wetness on his face and wiped his hand across it trying to remove the blood.

“If I’m not needed further, I must get back to the war,” Castiel stated in a serious, deep voice.

“We’re good, go on,” Dean told him.

Savich shook his head and rubbed his eyes when suddenly the one they called Castiel disappeared leaving them alone in the cemetery. He wasn’t sure what to ask or even say at the moment as he looked back at the creature that was still there, dead.

“We need to burn the body,” Dean told him as he propped Sam against a tall headstone and went looking for his pack.

“A little mind blowing isn’t it?” Sam asked when he saw Savich staring dumbfounded around him not sure what to do. A monster had been killed and he had helped. He felt proud of himself for helping these hunters. He was beginning to wonder what else what out there they he didn’t know about and how did he protect his town from them.

“Who was that?” he finally got out.

“That was Castiel, he’s an angel. I know, hard to believe. We didn’t believe him at first either, but he grows on you.”

“Did he just heal you?”

“Yeah, he does that. Kind of handy to know. Like I said our own doctor on call, so to speak.”

Savich watched Dean take a container of lighter fluid and salt dousing the body before setting it on fire. He stepped back and picked up the two swords before coming to stand by them.

“I’ll get the ashes up so we can toss them in that lake outside of town.”

“So, this is over. There’ll be no more killings?” Savich asked.

“There shouldn’t be. You were pretty handy with that sword, did you serve?”

“Yes, Marines, did three tours.”

“So, you’re a hero,” Sam said understanding why Savick was able to inflict the amount of pain that he did.

“I guess you could say that,” Savich shrugged not agreeing but didn’t say anything. “But I do call myself a survivor.”

“That’s why you hurt it so bad. Only heroes can kill it,” Dean commented.

“Did you serve?” he asked Dean.

“Naw, guess I’m something else.”

“And you guys do this all the time? Hunt monsters and kill them?”

“Yep.”

“How about I buy you guys a beer and you tell me a little more about these things?”

Dean looked at Sam to see his reaction before answering. “We really should be heading out after getting rid of the ashes.”

“You could do us one favor though,” Sam said. “Can you see these get returned to their owner?” He took the swords from where Dean laid them and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “Here’s the name and address of the owner.”

Dean looked on with longing as Sam handed over the sword, wishing he could keep them. But a machete was smaller and easier to manage, just a deadly.

“I can do that. Can I get your number if I were to ever need _your kind_ of help again?” Savich asked holding out a pad and pen. He could tell they really didn’t want to hang around and couldn’t blame them.

“Of course,” Sam nodded taking the items and scribbling down their numbers. “If we don’t answer leave a message.”

“Okay, looks like it’s toast,” Dean said getting out the shovel and bag. He checked to be sure all the fire was out before picking up the ashes with the shovel and depositing them in the bag. It always seemed strange to him that the ashes were never hot once a monster was burned, but it didn’t matter.

“It was nice to meet both of you and thanks for what you did for our town,” Savich told them. He shook Sam’s hand and waited for Dean to finish to shake his. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.” Savich took the swords and headed back to the gate to the cemetery and to his car parked nearby.

“You take care,” Dean told him as he turned to leave. He packed up the empty containers and stored the shovel back in the pack. “Guess we need to finish this and leave.”

“Yeah, he was an okay guy.”

“He was. You look like crap Sammy. I don’t know if I can let you ride in my Baby covered in blood.”

“I’ll change, the shirt’s ruined anyway,” he said looking down at it and suddenly stopping as flashes of another time he was coated in blood surfaced for a moment.

“You okay there Sammy?” Dean asked when he saw Sam freeze with a blank look on his face.

“I’m fine,” Sam finally got out as he steadied himself and wiped is face. He wasn’t going to tell Dean what happened because he knew he would worry. He would keep these flashbacks to himself and deal with them on his own.

They headed for the Impala and on to the next hunt.

**The End**


	7. Chapter 7

**E**

**Part One**

The Impala turned into the salvage yard driveway and slowly made her way to the front of the house. The Winchesters got out and headed for the front door where John Winchester knocked loudly. He waited for the owner of the salvage yard to answer as he glanced at his sons standing there with their duffels. The oldest, Dean, was stoic and pouting because he wanted to come with John and not stay here to go to school. The youngest one was content and stood quietly at his side.

“What?” Bobby Singer growled as her jerked the door open to look at the three standing on his porch. He saw Sam ease closer to his brother and hide his face, looking at him out of the corner of his eyes.

“Bobby,” John greeted him as he waited to be invited in. “Thanks for doing this for me.”

“Get on in here,” he grumbled looking down at the boys. He hadn’t seen them in a long time seeing they had grown.

“You boys mind Bobby and don’t be getting into any trouble you hear me?”

“Yes sir,” they said together as John squatted down to hug them.

“I’ll try to get back before they’re out of school. Here’s their records so you can enroll them without any problems,” John told Bobby handing him two folders. “Here’s some money and I’ll send some more when I can.”

“I ain’t worried about that. You sure you want to do this?” he asked John looking at the boys. “Dean why don’t you and Sammy go on in the kitchen and get something to drink?”

“Alright,” Dean said. “Come on Sammy.” Dean steered his brother toward the kitchen after dropping their duffels at the stairs. He gave his father one final longing look before going into the kitchen.

Once they were out of earshot, Bobby turned back to John to talk to him. “Are you sure about this John? Those boys need a live Daddy not one six feet under.”

“I’ve got to follow this lead Bobby. It’s the closest I’ve been in a long time to what killed Mary and I can’t let it go unchecked.”

“I know you want your revenge, but don’t forget about your boys.”

“I know Bobby, I know. I’m doing this for them. Make sure Dean stays out of trouble, he’s at that age and thinks he’s eighteen already.”

“I’ll keep him in line. I’ll go Monday and get them enrolled in school so they can start. How long you think you’ll be gone?”

“I don’t know, two maybe three weeks, a month at the most.”

“Be careful and…Just come back to them.”

“I’ll do my best. Bye boys,” he called as Dean and Sam stepped to the doorway with drinks in their hands.

“Bye Dad,” Sam waved a look of worry on his face. He had just found out what their father did a few months ago when he read his journal. He confronted Dean and he told him the truth about what was out there in the dark and what their father really did when Sam though he was going to work jobs out of town.

John gave Dean a knowing look to watch out for Sammy before heading out the door and leaving. Dean stood there and listened to the Impala crank and drive away. After the engine noise faded in the distance, he turned away and went out the back door to the deck to be alone. He was mad that he got left behind again. He knew how to hunt, had for a long time and couldn’t see why he couldn’t go with his Dad. Sammy could stay with Bobby and he could have gone, and he was pissed about being left behind. He wanted to have his Dad’s back.

“Dee, Uncle Bobby said after a snack we could go into town with him to get supplies,” Sam spoke from behind him.

Dean stiffened his shoulders for a moment, but he wasn’t mad at his brother and let them relax. He felt Sam step closer behind him and come to stand beside him as he looked out into the backyard.

“Are you okay Dee?”

“Yeah Sammy, I’m good,” Dean replied dropping his arm over his brother’s shoulders.

“Uncle Bobby has cheese and crackers for us if you want some.”

“Alright Sammy. You hungry?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“Guess we should go eat something then,” Dean told him ruffling his long hair.

“Stop!” Sam complained trying to comb his hair back into place with his fingers as he dodged Dean’s hand.

Dean laughed at his complaining and pushed him toward the door to the kitchen. They went inside and ate their snack that Bobby fixed. Bobby sipped a cup of coffee as he watched the boys whisper among themselves. They were always quiet ones when they were little and stayed with him. He hadn’t seen a boy as young as Dean seem more of an adult than some adults he knew. Dean had to grow up fast and never got a chance at a childhood like most kids. He raised his little brother and was more of a dad to him than their own father. That boy had an old soul and wisdom most adults didn’t have.

**spn**

“You two ready to head into town?” Bobby asked when he saw they were finished eating.

Dean looked up at him with such serious eyes and spoke, “Yes sir.”

Bobby didn’t correct him knowing it was his father’s influence and training he had gone through. He hoped in a few days it would be Uncle Bobby again. “Then let’s go.”

Dean and Sam took their plates to the sink and followed Bobby to the front door and out to his car. The boys climbed in back and buckled up. Bobby started the car and headed for town so he could get food for the boys. It didn’t take much for him and he wasn’t that picky, whatever can he opened was fine. He knew the boys would need healthy food three times a day with snacks and he needed to see if they wanted to take their lunch or buy it. The boys stayed quiet in the back and watched out the side windows as they made their way into town.

“Okay boys,” Bobby said once he found a parking space at the store. “Do you want to take your lunch to school or buy it in the cafeteria?”

“We can take it,” Dean spoke for both of them.

“Then you’ll need to pick some things out to make your lunches and guess we’ll need to get you a couple of lunch bags for you too.”

“Can I get carrot sticks to go in mine?” Sam asked.

“Of course, Sam, that’s a good choice.”

“Yeah, he only wants rabbit food,” Dean supplied. He grabbed a buggy from the front of the store and followed Bobby around to the produce section with Sam following behind him.

They went through the store picking out food for lunches and snacks. Neither boy was picky and they liked just about anything he had fixed for them over the years. He knew Sam was not a fan of lima beans and Dean didn’t like Brussel sprouts.

Bobby let them choose a lunch bag and after some coaxing, got out of them some school supplies they would need. He was going to run by the thrift store to see if they had any clothes for them knowing John didn’t always take care of matters like that. He knew Sam got Dean’s hand me downs if they were still wearable. It wouldn’t hurt for them to have a few new things to wear to school.

Once they were finished, they checked out and took their purchases to the car. They visited the thrift store and found some clothes for each of them. He decided to let them have a treat and stopped at a fast food place for milk shakes. Both boys could use some extra weight on their thin frames and hoped maybe he could fix that. Dean got a strawberry and Sam got a vanilla shake to drink on the way home.

**spn**

Bobby got the boys registered in school and the first week passed with everyone getting used to the routine of getting up in time to get ready for school, catching the bus, school, riding the bus home, homework, chores, dinners, showers and bedtime. When Dean didn’t have schoolwork, Bobby let him help in the garage and Sam, not interested in mechanics would explore. 

The first week went by with no problems and they seemed to settle into school without any issues. Sam was always a smart kid and excelled in school. Dean liked school until he got older and wanted to hunt with his Dad. John wouldn’t let him drop out of school like he wanted to do, and this made him mad enough to do just enough to get by. He had already decided when he turned sixteen, he was dropping out and hunting full time.

No matter where they were in school, Dean always made sure Sam wasn’t picked on or bullied. He was a little small for his age and always seemed to be the target for bullies, being the new kid and a loner. Everyone found out very fast you didn’t mess with his little brother if you didn’t want the crap beat out of you.

Spring break was coming up and they would have a week off from school giving them a total of nine days out of school including the weekends. Sam made sure to check out extra library books to have something to read while he was out.

It was Saturday and spring break started the following week. Dean was helping Bobby in the garage fixing a car since that was his passion. He had a head for mechanics like his father. Sam sat outside in the sun for a while reading and decided to explore some of the outbuildings while they worked. He strolled past the stacks of wrecked vehicles and to the first building to look inside. He opened the door and let the sunlight shine in not seeing much to interest him and closed it back.

Sam pulled the metal door of the next building opening, hearing it creak on rusty hinges. As the sunlight cut the darkness inside, he saw something move inside. He froze and let his eyes adjust trying to find what had caught his attention.

“Hello?” Sam called cautiously not sure if he should go inside or not. Getting up his nerve, he stepped into the building trying to see back behind some shelves when a shadow moved deeper into a corner. “Who’s there?” No one answered him but he heard something fall from a shelve nearby. “I won’t hurt you. My name’s Sam.” Sam stepped closer when suddenly a body jumped by him knocking him to the floor as it scurried to the other side of the building trying to hide from him. Sam wasn’t afraid. He seemed to sense there was no danger to him and got up, brushing his pants off. He wasn’t giving up and followed whatever had ran by him.

Being careful, Sam moved around some stacked boxes and barrels until he could see in the shadowed corner. There in the corner was a kid, crouched down trying to hide.

“Hey,” Sam said. He squatted down to be on the kid’s level so not to scare him. “My name is Sam. What are you doing in here?”

The kid looked at Sam through his splayed fingers covering his face but didn’t move to get closer. Sam thought he looked around his age maybe a little younger from what he could tell.

“Are you hungry?” Sam asked pulling a granola bar from his pocket and holding it out. He watched the kid cringe from him and opened it breaking a piece off to eat. He held it out again and watched as a dirty hand slowly reached out before jerking back. Sam didn’t move or flinch as he reached out again and snatched it from Sam’s hand. He crammed it in his mouth and chewed quickly. “You’re really hungry,” Sam mumbled. “Stay here and I’ll get you something else to eat okay? Will you wait here for me?” He saw a small nod from the boy and got up to head outside. He ran to the backdoor and into the kitchen thinking about what they had to eat.

Sam made up a couple of sandwiches and grabbed some juice boxes and an apple. He put everything in a bag and hurried out the door when he heard Dean in the other room.

“That you Sammy?” Dean called catching a glimpse of him as he ran out the door. “What ya doing?”

“Nothing,” he called back not stopping so he wouldn’t have to explain anything to him.

Sam ran back to the building and slowed when he got to the door. He caught his breath before stepping back inside and moving around the junk inside to the back. He smiled when he saw the boy was still there.

“I brought you a couple of sandwiches and juice,” Sam told him. “Can you come out here in the light so you can see?” He took a couple of steps back, motioning him to follow. He sat down in the sunlight waiting for the kid to come from the shadows. Sam pulled out a sandwich and a juice box, fixing the straw before sitting it on the floor beside the sandwich.

The kid watched Sam closely, not stepping from the shadows until Sam fixed his own juice box and drank some. After a few moments, he eased closer and sat down on the floor, being sure to stay out of arm’s reach. He picked up the juice and watched Sam for a moment before copying him and smiled when he tasted the juice.

“What’s your name?” Sam asked. “I’m Sam.”

“Lelon,” he whispered before picking up half the sandwich and taking a bite.

“What are you doing in here? Did you run away?” Sam asked watching Lelon cock his head slightly and frown like he wasn’t sure what Sam meant. The more Sam looked at him, he could see differences in his facial features. He had long hair, longer than Sam’s that looked blonde but was dirty. His eyes were almond shaped and when he tucked his long hair behind his ear, Sam saw it was pointed. “Lelon, where do you come from?”

“Far away, another land,” Lelon replied between bites.

He was sure Lelon wasn’t human and remembered one of Bobby’s book he had read that told of mystical creatures and a land of magic and fairies, elves, sprites, and creatures that didn’t exist in this world. He was sure he was an elf but couldn’t figure out how he got here or why.

“What happened? Did you get lost?”

“Bad ones took me, I got away and ran. Hide here.”

“Are you an elf?”

“Elf, yes, my clan, Riverbend Elves. Can you help me find home?”

Sam looked at him and saw the hopefulness in his eyes and knew he needed to help him. He tried to decide if he should tell Dean and Bobby or do this on his own. He wanted to show Dean and their Dad he was grown enough to help and decided for now he would keep Lelon a secret.

“Yes, I’ll help you,” Sam said.

“Sammy!” a male voice yelled to him making Lelon scurry back into the shadows in fright.

“It’s okay that’s my brother. You stay here. Here’s another sandwich and juice. I’ll come back later and see if I can sneak you in the house and if not will bring you a sleeping bag and blanket.” He got up to leave before Dean came looking for him.

“Thank you.”

Sam gave him a warm smile and hurried out leaving the door partly open to let in sunlight and fresh air. His mind was working on the problem of how to help Lelon when he rounded to stacks of vehicles running into Dean and bouncing off him.

“Hey squirt, what ya doin’?” Dean asked grabbing him before he fell backwards.

“Nothing, just walking around,” Sam replied faster than he meant to and tried to hide his guilt. He fidgeted and kicked at the dirt with the toe of his shoe. He was keeping a big secret from Dean and felt bad, but he wanted to prove himself. He wanted to show he could do more than sit in a motel room or search lore.

“Wanna help me fix lunch?” Dean asked not missing the twitch Sam had or how jumpy he seemed.

“I guess.”

“Okay, let’s go wash up and get started.”

Sam followed Dean back into the house looking back over his shoulder before heading inside. He helped Dean make lunch for them and Bobby. Bobby came in when they were finishing up to have lunch with them.

“Bobby, do you mind if I look at some of your books? I have a school paper to write about mythology.”

“Sure Sam, just put them back where you got them.”

“Remember Sammy, you can’t be too knowledgeable about stuff. It’ll make people wonder,” Dean cautioned him. He knew how involved Sam could be when he researched and had to find out everything he could.

“I know, I’ll be careful,” Sam told him.

“I need to take some parts to a shop a couple of towns over this afternoon, do you two want to come alone?” Bobby asked them as they finished up their meal.

“Hell yeah!” Dean exclaimed, happy to take a trip.

“Can I stay here?” Sam asked. He saw the look of disappointment on Dean’s face and quickly added, “I’m good staying by myself. I’ve done it at motels that were less protected and dangerous. This place is warded, and I can lock the doors. I’m almost eleven in a few weeks, I know how to use a gun, I’ll be okay Dean. You can go with Bobby.”

Bobby looked at Sam seeing the desperation on his face, trying to act older than he was. He did have a point. His place was probably the safest place they could be from the supernatural.

“I don’t know…” Dean started.

“Besides, I want to finish this paper, so I’ll have the rest of the week free.” Sam continued quickly.

“You promise to stay inside and lock the doors and don’t answer it for anyone?” Dean asked.

“Yes, you can call me when you get ready to come back to check on me.”

“If that’s what you want Sam,” Bobby told him. “You know to be careful and not mess with things, consider it all loaded.”

“I know,” Sam assured him, his mind whirling with racing thoughts. This was his chance to get Lelon inside and hide him in the spare bedroom his Dad used when he was here. No one hardly went in there while their father was gone, so it was perfect.

“Okay then, Dean you finished?” Bobby asked pushing back from the table to toss his paper plate in the trash. He sat his coffee cup in the sink and turned to look at Sam again. Something was nagging him about Sam’s desire to stay behind, but let it drop for now thinking it was nothing. “We should be back in three or four hours.”

“You call if anything happens, got it Sammy?” Dean asked.

“Yeah Dean, I’ll keep my cell on me.”

“See ya bro.”

Sam went to the window and watched Bobby and Dean pull away in his truck and head down the driveway. He waited ten more minutes to be sure they were gone before heading for the back door. He raced off the deck and headed for the building where Lelon was waiting on him.

“They’re gone, c’mon you can come inside,” he told Lelon who had hidden back in the shadows until he saw it was Sam.

Lelon stepped out and smiled at Sam, happy to see him. Sam saw he was a few inches shorter than he was and smaller in frame. Where Sam seemed awkward and trying to grow into his own, Lelon was graceful and proportioned perfectly. He had on what looked like homemade clothes and leather boots. Lelon had scratches on his face and arms and there were red circles around his wrist like he had been tied or cuffed at one time.

“We can go into the house, I’m by myself.” He motioned the elf to follow him out into the sunlight and led him toward the house.

Lelon looked around the area fearfully as he stayed behind Sam and took in everything looking for any danger. He stopped on the deck and stretched his neck to look in the house through the open door that Sam disappeared into not sure if he wanted to follow him or not.

“It’s okay. This is where I live. You’ll be safe in here. I promise,” Sam coaxed giving him a warm smile.

It took a few moments before the elf stepped through the doorway and looked at what lay inside with wide, curious eyes. There was so many strange things he had never seen before sitting around. He watched Sam open a white thing and saw food and drinks sitting inside it and stepped closer feeling cool air coming from it.

“Would you like to get a shower?” Sam asked walking slowly backwards toward the stairs. “I have some clothes you can wear. You’ll probably feel better to be clean.”

“Shower?” Lelon asked with puzzlement.

“We need to go upstairs, I’ll show you,” Sam told him. He started up the stairs looking back to be sure he was following. Sam led him into the bathroom and closed the door. He pulled the shower curtain back and turned on the water, looking back when Lelon cried out in surprise to see the water pouring from the faucet. He adjusted it before stepping back. “This is a commode, you use it to relieve yourself, pee,” he explained pointing to the commode. “Here’s the shampoo and conditioner for your hair and some soap to wash your body.”

Lelon looked with interest at everything Sam was pointing to and listened closely to him. This was a new experience for him, and he tried to take it all in at once.

“You can take your clothes off and take a shower. I’ll get you some clean ones that are a little small for me.” Sam stepped to the door and slipped out to go to his bedroom. He rummaged around in his dresser for briefs, socks, shorts and a tee shirt that he thought would fit Lelon. Sam stopped at the linen closet to grab a towel to take in with him. “I’m coming back in,” Sam knocked before opening the door. He saw dirty clothes on the floor and laid the clean clothes on the sink. “Are you okay in there?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“You use the knobs to turn the water off when you are done. I’ve put a towel here for you to dry off with and a comb to comb your hair with. I’ll be across the hall in my bedroom. You can call me if you need anything.”

“Alright.”

Sam stepped back out and went downstairs to grab some of Bobby’s books to take upstairs to start reading and to wait for Lelon to finish his shower. He climbed onto his bed and started with the first book looking for anything on elves and where they lived. He needed to find something that would tell him how to cross from one world to another and where such places might exist. The places had to be real if Lelon was here.

It was nearly thirty minutes later when Lelon stepped from the bathroom and into the doorway of Sam’s bedroom. Sam looked up and moved the books over so he could join him on the bed. Leon’s hair was a golden honey blonde that would be lighter once it was dry. He had tied it back out of the way with a thin strip of leather.

“I’ve been looking for information on how to get you home,” Sam told him holding out a book that showed pictures of elves and fairies.

“My home,” he said longingly studying the photos in the book.

Sam looked to the nightstand when his cell started ringing and grabbed it to answer.

“Hello,” Sam greeted the call figuring it was Dean checking on him.

“You bored yet?” Dean asked.

“No, this is interesting stuff to read,” Sam huffed knowing Dean would rather hunt than do research.

“Whatever. Bobby will be finished here in about twenty minutes and we’ll be heading home.”

“It looks like this,” Lelon said. He pointed to a picture in one of the books only to get hushed by Sam.

“Who was that Sam?” Dean questioned, his voice getting tense.

“It was the television. I was going by it to get a drink from the kitchen,” Sam lied quickly getting up and going in the hall leaving Lelon on the bed. “Will you be heading back soon?”

“Yeah, Bobby needs to stop to get gas before we head back. You sure you’re okay Sammy? There’s not anything going on with you?”

“Yes Dean,” San sighed. “I’m fine. I need to go so I can get back to my studies.”

“You know you’re never going to get a girl studying all the time.”

“Jerk!”

“Nerd bitch, see ya later.”

Sam hung up and looked back into the bedroom at Lelon who was slowly turning the pages of a book looking at the pictures. He didn’t know if he could read English or not, but kind of doubted it.

“That was my older brother. Him and Uncle Bobby will be home in a few hours.”

“Brother, I have brothers.”

“I bet they are looking for you. I know if I was missing Dean would be looking for me.”

“I don’t know,” he said sadly.

“I’m sure they are. I’ve been reading in this book that there are special places in the world where ley lines merge to create magical areas where occasionally the walls between worlds thin. If I can find one near here maybe you can get back to your world and home.”

“You can find?” Lelon questioned.

“I hope so, I’ve got to do some more research first.” Sam put his book on the bed and stood beside it. “You can stay in the other bedroom until I have some answers. Come on, I’ll show you.” Sam led him into the hall and down to the closed door below the bathroom. He opened it and stepped in, waiting for Lelon to join him. “I’ll open the window to let in some fresh air. You may want to close it tonight.”

Lelon looked around the room taking in the queen size bed, dresser, nightstand, chair and table that filled it. He watched Sam pull up a shade and open a window to allow fresh air into the room. Bird chirps and singing could be heard drifting inside, and the smell of blooming flowers floated on the gentle breeze that ruffled the curtain hanging in place on the window.

“You have to be quiet, so Dean doesn’t hear you. If you need to use the bathroom, be sure to check that it’s clear before sneaking out. Do you understand?”

“Be quiet. Don’t be seen,” Lelon replied.

“Yes, I’ll get you something for dinner tonight and some waters and juices. If anyone was to come in here hide under the bed and don’t make a sound.”

“I will be careful,” Lelon nodded.

“You stay here, and I’ll run down to the kitchen.”

“Alright,” Lelon said. He moved to the chair by the window and sat down looking out across the backyard. He felt himself blessed to have run across someone like Sam who was willing to help him find his way home. He was a good friend to him.

Sam closed the door behind him and went to the bathroom to clean it and take the towel and Lelon’s clothes downstairs to drop off in the laundry room. He didn’t want Dean to find anything that would cast suspicion on him that he was lying. He headed downstairs and dropped the things in a basket in the laundry room and then went to the kitchen to gather some food and drinks for Lelon. Sam dug out a small ice chest from a shelf to put the juices and Lunchables in along with an ice pack to keep them cold. He grabbed a couple of fruit cups, granola bars, bananas, peanut butter crackers and waters depositing them in a plastic bag. He took his stash back upstairs to the spare bedroom finding Lelon still sitting by the window. He showed him how to open things and where he put plastic spoons and napkins.

They moved to sit on the bed and talk quietly.

“Tell me about you home,” Sam said.

“I live in village near a beautiful waterfall. We toil the land and hunt in the forest. My brothers are warriors and guard our land from intruders. There are many enemies that would like to kidnap and enslave us, but we also have allies who bands with other villages to keep everyone safe. Our land much like yours with trees, flowers and animals, but much more…” Lelon paused not sure of the word he wanted.

“Supernatural?” Sam asked. “More exotic and scary?”

“Some yes, others gentle and harmless.”

“Can the elves do magic or have special powers?”

“Only the elders and leaders. There is the Lady of the Mist who is powerful. Do you have powers?”

“Me? No, I’m a nobody. Not many humans do, but there are psychics in our world. I better get downstairs before my brother and Uncle Bobby get back. Will you be okay?”

“Yes, I will be quiet.”

“Right and I’ll bring you some breakfast after they go out to the garage to work.”

“Goodbye Sam and thank you.”

Sam went back to the bedroom and got the books before heading downstairs. He settled on the couch and began reading again trying to find more information on areas that might have a thinning to allow access into another world. He had several books spread out around him and was taking notes when Dean strolled in and tossed a small paper bag to him.

“What’s this?” Sam asked picking up the bag.

“Open it and see,” Dean teased, his lips twitching slightly with a smile.

Sam cautiously opened the top of the bag and peered inside. He smiled seeing pieces of his favorite candy. He didn’t eat many sweets, but he did love buck eyes, a caramel candy with a white center.

“Thanks Dean,” he said.

“Did you get your paper done?” he asked noticing the television was off and was still sure he heard another voice when he talked to him earlier.

“Almost. I found a lot of good information. Where’s Bobby?”

“He needed to run into town to the bank. I had him drop me off at the end of the road. I wanted to check on you.”

“I told you I was okay when you called. I’m not a baby Dean,” Sam complained.

“I know, but you’re my little brother and it’s my job to take care of you.”

Sam snorted his disagreement and sat the bag to the side for later.

“C’mon, I told Bobby we’ll start dinner for him.”

“Okay,” Sam grunted putting his books to the side and getting up to follow his brother to the kitchen.

==============================================

**A/N: So, Sam has a secret he’s keeping from Dean and we know how that always goes. I do like comments. NC**


	8. Chapter 8

**E**

**Part Two**

“Uncle Bobby, I was reading in one of your books that there are places in the world where magic is more powerful than others. Is that true?” Sam asked as they ate dinner.

“I believe so, why do you want to know?”

“Just curious,” Sam shrugged going back to eating his salad without saying another word.

Bobby looked at Dean with a slight frown and saw a look of concern on his face, but he didn’t say anything. Dean looked at Bobby and shrugged slightly letting him know he had no idea where that came from either. Dean could sense Sam was hiding something; he just didn’t know what.

“Since it’s Sunday tomorrow, I thought we might go into town for lunch and maybe see what’s playing at the movies,” Bobby suggested. He saw a strange look cross Sam’s face for only a second before it was gone.

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Dean answered for both of them. “Ain’t that right Sammy?”

“Sure,” he mumbled the wheels turning in his head. He would need to let Lelon know they would be gone and to be careful and listen for them to come back so he could hide in the bedroom again. He was narrowing down his search and thought he might have a place by tomorrow, but it might take longer if he was gone part of the day. He could do some work tonight to make up for the missed time. He finished his meal and excused himself from the table to go take a shower.

Bobby and Dean watched him leave and looked at each other both showing concern and puzzlement. Neither knew why Sam seemed closed off and secretive, and not as outspoken like he usually was.

“Something wrong with yer brother?” Bobby asked once Sam was out of hearing.

“Not that I know. He’s probably just in one of his bitchy moods. He is that age,” Dean shrugged.

Sam made sure he wasn’t followed up the stairs and quietly slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. “It’s me,” Sam whispered looking around and watched as Lelon stood up from the other side of the bed.

“Hello Sam,” he greeted him.

“We’re going out tomorrow for lunch and won’t be back for a while. You can come out and get you something to eat from the fridge, the white box in the kitchen, but watch for us to come back. You can’t be caught downstairs. I’ll get you some food before going to bed. Do you understand?” Sam rushed wanting to get to the bathroom before anyone got suspicious.

“Yes, be careful. Food in white box,” Lelon repeated to Sam.

“Okay, gotta go.” Sam went to the door and cracked it open to look out before slipping from the room and heading for the bedroom to get sleep clothes and went to the bathroom to shower. He had to be careful that Dean and Bobby wouldn’t get suspicious of what he was doing and try to stop him.

Dean looked up from the television when Sam came down the steps and into the living room. His hair was damp from a shower and he had on his sleep clothes. He went into the kitchen and came out with a bottle of water. He watched him gather some books and a notepad up in his arms, not seeing the food he had hidden under his shirt.

“I’m going to do some reading in bed before turning in,” Sam told Dean as he shifted from foot to foot.

“You don’t wanna watch a little television? We can see if one of those documentaries you like is on?” Dean offered.

“No, that’s okay. Goodnight Dean,” Sam replied before heading up the stairs with his books.

“I’ll be up in a bit.”

“Okay.” Sam went up the stairs and gave a soft knock at the door before opening it. He handed off the water and food to Lelon. “It’s not much but should hold you over.”

“Thanks,” Lelon whispered back disappearing back into the bedroom.

**spn**

Sam went down to his bedroom and settled on the bed spreading his books out around him. He fixed the pillow against the headboard and opened the first book to the marked page and flipped through his notes to where he had left off. He read and made notes until Dean finally came upstairs ready for bed. After marking his place and putting the books away, he slid down in his bed and repositioned his pillow so he could settle down to sleep.

Dean came back from the bathroom and turned down his bed so he could climb in. He turned off the light on the nightstand between their beds and looked over at Sam’s shadowed silhouette before whispering, “Nite Sammy.”

“Nite Dean,” Sam mumbled as he buried deeper into the covers.

It was after two am when Lelon had the need to use the bathroom. He went to the door and cracked it open enough to see before slinking from the room. He hugged the wall and was almost to the bathroom when an older boy shuffled from the bedroom across from the bathroom, yawning and rubbing his face.

Lelon froze and flattened himself against the wall holding his breath as he waited for him to get in the bathroom before hurrying back to the bedroom. He stepped into the bedroom just before Dean would have seen him.

Dean stopped and stuck his head out the bathroom door and looked down the shadowed hall thinking he heard something that was out of place but shrugged when he didn’t see anything. He wrote it off as being half asleep and turned back to use the bathroom before returning to his bed.

Lelon waited long enough to be sure Sam’s brother was asleep before sneaking out again and slipped into the bathroom. He relieved himself and did as Sam showed him flushed the commode. Lelon froze when he listened to the sound of it and looked to the door to see if anyone was going to come in to check it out. After what seemed like forever, Lelon snuck back out and to the bedroom to get some sleep. He had exceptional hearing and would know when the brothers woke and started moving around.

**spn**

Sam woke first the next morning and slipped from the bed to pad barefooted downstairs to the kitchen. He dug around and got out a yogurt and juice and picked up an apple from the bowl before heading back upstairs to the spare bedroom.

He knocked softly before pushing the door open. “Lelon, I have some breakfast for you.”

“I thank you friend,” Lelon bowed his head to Sam. He accepted the food from Sam and went to the chair to sit down and eat.

“I think I’ve found a place that might have a shimmering so you can get home,” Sam told him. “I should know by tonight and I’ll make a plan to get us there.”

“You are very kind Sam.”

“I better get back before I’m missed. Be careful while we are gone.”

“I will.”

With a quick look out into the hall, Sam stepped out and eased back into the bedroom and into bed. He could see the mound that was his brother still asleep and grimaced as his bed creaked loudly as he got back in. He didn’t know Dean had woke and heard him leave and come back. He was gone too long to have just gone to the bathroom and wondered what he was doing.

Dean rolled over and opened his eyes in slits to see the darkness was beginning to lighten but it was too early to get up. It being Sunday, Bobby usually slept in, so he decided to do the same. They had plenty of time before leaving to head into town for lunch. He let his eyes close and drifted into a light sleep.

“Hey, wake up bro, Bobby’s got breakfast ready,” Dean called to his brother as he gave his leg a hard slap.

“Okay, I’m up,” Sam grunted, stretching and yawning as he woke his body to a new day.

“I’m going on down,” Dean told him as he tied the laces on his boots. He stepped out into the hall and started for the stairs when he thought he heard a noise in the spare bedroom their Dad used. He placed a hand on the knob and started to turn it when his name was cried out.

“Dean!” Sam yelled suddenly when he saw what he was doing.

“What Sammy?” Dean asked as he opened the door and pushed it open to look inside.

Sam ran to his side trying to stop him from going inside.

“What are you hiding Sammy?” Dean asked pushing him aside and stepping into the room. He gave it a curious once over and then spotted an empty yogurt cup sitting on the dresser. He moved to pick it up and looked over at Sam, arching his eyebrow. “What’s this Sammy?”

“It’s mine, I forgot to throw it away,” Sam as quickly as his mind whirled thinking up a plausible story.

“What were you doing in here eating? The kitchen not good enough for you?”

“I miss Dad,” Sam mumbled hanging his head as his shoulders slumped. He glanced at the bed and saw a shadow shift under it. “Being in here made me feel closer to him.”

Dean’s face softened as he looked at his brother and draped a hand over his shoulders. “I know Sammy, I miss him too. Why don’t we go get some breakfast?”

“Alright,” Sam agreed leaning into his side for a moment before turning to leave.

“You know you can talk to me when you feel like this.”

“Okay thanks.” Sam let out the breath he was holding and relaxed since it seemed his story worked.

Bobby had fixed a light breakfast and had planned on doing some shopping before having a late lunch and checking out what was playing at the movies. If nothing was to their liking, he figured they could come back home and see if there was a game or something on the television worth watching. He wanted to give the boys some normal in their lives and not have it all about training and hunting. Bobby knew the boys didn’t get much time to just be boys when they were with their father.

**spn**

The streets were sparse of people as Bobby and the brother strolled down the sidewalk. They went into a used bookstore and looked around. Sam found a couple of books that weren’t expensive, and Bobby picked up a couple of westerns paperbacks. He bought them and they continued their window shopping until getting back to Bobby’s car.

They headed to the diner now that the Sunday lunch crowd was gone and had a quiet lunch. The movie was a bust since what was showing was either too young or too old for Sam and Dean. Bobby decided to let them have a treat at the soda shop and stopped there on the way out. He let them choose what they wanted, Sam got a strawberry milkshake and Dean went all out and got a banana split.

“Man! I think I over did it with the split,” Dean moaned as they trudged back into the house. He rubbed his stomach and burped softly.

“I told you your eyes were bigger than your stomach,” Sam scolded him. “If you didn’t make goo-goo eyes at the girl behind the counter, she wouldn’t have added extra stuff to it.”

“Awe, you’re just jealous is all,” Dean countered.

“I’m going upstairs,” Sam said taking his bag with books and heading for the stairs. He ignored the jabs his brother threw at him until Bobby told him to go easy on his brother.

Bobby and Dean were watching a game on the television when Sam appeared a few hours later.

“Uncle Bobby can I use your computer and printer?”

“Of course, Sam.”

“Thanks,” he replied heading into his office. Sam booted up the computer and turned on the printer before sitting down in Bobby’s office chair. He waited as it booted up and went online wanting to check some things out and print out maps. He worked quickly, glancing every once and a while toward the living room as he found the information he needed. He was sure he had found a spot that might have a passage to another realm so he could get Lelon home. Once he was done, he shut everything down and folded most of the pages up to hide under his shirt. He headed back toward the stairs but stopped when Dean called to him.

“You wanna watch the game with us?” Dean asked.

“No, I’m going to read one of the books I got.”

“Man, Sammy you may be a lost cause. You need to loosen up and do something besides keeping your nose in a book.”

“I like reading,” Sam answered defensively.

“Leave the boy be,” Bobby fussed as Dean.

Dean slouched down on the couch with a pout on his face and watched Sam hurry up the steps. He couldn’t get it out of his mind that Sam was up to something, but he just didn’t know what.

**spn**

“Sammy wake up, Bobby got a call for a tow job,” Dean told him shaking his shoulder. “We need to go.”

“No, go, sleep,” Sam grumbled pushing his hand away and burying deeper into the covers.

“You can’t stay here alone, we don’t know how long we’ll be gone,” Dean insisted.

“Yes, I can. I did it the other day. Go! I’ll be fine. I’ll stay inside and not answer the door.” Sam buried his head under the covers trying to ignore Dean.

“I’ll call you so keep your cell on you,” Dean huffing caving and letting his brother stay in bed.

“I will,” Sam mumbled from under the covers.

Dean gave him one last look as he grabbed his jacket and headed downstairs to go with Bobby. He knew Sam would be bored out of his head being squeezed between him and Bobby for several hours. The kid would hate it, he knew.

Sam waited until he was sure Dean and Bobby were gone before jumping out of bed and grabbing his clothes to put on. With them being gone most of the day, he could put his plan into play. He went to the bathroom first and then to get Lelon so he could use it and change into a pair of jeans for the trip. They went downstairs and Sam hurried to Bobby’s office.

“I think I’ve found a place that might have an opening for you to cross over,” Sam told him excitedly. He booted up Bobby’s computer and went online to buy bus tickets for them. Sam dug around in the drawer in Bobby’s desk to find his credit card to charge the tickets. After printing them out, Sam went into the kitchen and found two nap sacks that he filled with power and granola bars, apples and peanut butter and crackers and bottles of water. He tied a blanket to each one and handed one to Lelon. “I’ll call us a taxi to take us to the bus station. It’s a six-hour bus ride to the town we need to go to.”

“Thank you, Sam, but won’t brother be mad?” Lelon asked accepting the pack.

“Probably, but he’ll get over it,” Sam shrugged. He pulled his cell out and called a taxi to pick them up. After talking into the cell for a moment, he hung up. Sam pulled an old coffee can from the cabinet and took out some money from Bobby’s emergency fund and stuffed it in his pocket. “The taxi will be here in fifteen minutes. We should go wait outside.” Sam led them outside to wait on the porch and set down on the steps.

Lelon sat down beside him and looked around the area with interest. It was so different from his own world. The sights, sounds, images, smells, were so different here it took some getting used to.

The sun had been up less than an hour and Sam had gotten the earliest bus from Sioux Falls west across the state. He had found a place outside of a small town called Cottonwood, South Dakota. The town sat at the bottom of a mountain range where numerous ley lines intersected in a place in the forest outside of the town. Sam hoped that he could find an opening there for Lelon to go home.

The taxi pulled up to the house and Sam urged Lelon to get in when he first skidded away and climbed in after him. Lelon sat tense and fearful, waiting for them to move. The driver questioned them being alone, but Sam convinced him they were going to meet family in town. He showed him the money to pay and the driver took them into town dropping them off a couple of blocks from the bus station. Sam didn’t want him to know their true destination knowing they could walk to the station.

“Lelon, be sure to keep your ears covered. People won’t understand if they see them,” Sam whispered to him as they walked down the street.

Lelon absently pulled his hair down around his ears and kept pace with Sam as they walked down the street. He couldn’t help but stare at the people around them and the strange metal contraptions moving down the street like the one they rode here in. He tried not to cringe away from people and things they passed.

The bus station loomed ahead of them and they went inside where Sam handed the clerk the tickets he printed out and got tickets for them. The bus they needed to take would be leaving in thirty minutes, so Sam found a couple of magazines for them to look through while they waited.

Twenty minutes later it was announced their bus was loading and Sam led Lelon to the steps and boarded the bus. He found two seats for them and let Lelon have the window so he could watch the scenery as they drove to Cottonwood. The schedule said the bus would be making four stops along the way and was supposed to arrive after lunch, early afternoon.

**spn**

“Sammy! Got done early and brought you some lunch,” Dean called to him. He strolled on into the kitchen and sat the bag down and listened to the too quiet house. “Sammy!” Dean headed upstairs and check all the bedrooms but didn’t find him. He went out on the deck and yelled for him but didn’t get answer.

“What’s wrong Dean?” Bobby asked as Dean rushed back in looking around.

“I can’t find Sam anywhere,” he replied looking around with concern.

“Did you try calling him?”

“Right.” Dean pulled his cell out and punched in Sam’s number. He listened to it ring and cussed when it went to voice. “Must have his cell off and he knows better than to do that.”

“I don’t see anything messed up like there was a struggle,” Bobby commented looking around the kitchen and living room.

“Let me check upstairs,” Dean said. He ran for the stairs and checked their bedroom for clothes missing but didn’t see anything gone. Dean headed back downstairs and heard Bobby call him from his office.

“What did you find?” he asked.

“Seems the little shit’s been busy,” Bobby growled. “He charged two bus tickets on my credit card.”

“Bus tickets? Two? Who could he be with? Where’s the destination?”

“Cottonwood, South Dakota.”

“Where the hell is that?”

“West of here on the other side of the state.”

“And why would he even want to go there? Do you know anyone there? I sure don’t,” Dean fussed throwing him hands out in frustration.

“No, but this might explain a little,” Bobby said looking at his browser history. “He’s been researching areas where there might be portals to other realms. He printed some maps out too.”

“What has Sammy got himself into? Better printout what you can find before we leave, and I’ll go over it on the way there.”

“Good idea.” Bobby hit print several times and Dean grabbed the pages as they came from the printer.

“We better head that way and see if we can find him,” Dean growled. “I’m gonna kill Sammy when I get my hands on him.”

“Yer brother ain’t dumb Dean. There’s got to be a reason he’s doing this,” Bobby said. He headed for the front door with Dean on his heels. “By the ticket it says it’ll be there around two pm.”

“It’s nearly ten am now. He’s going to have a head start on us.”

“Maybe the bus will be late, but at least we have a general idea of where he’s going.” Bobby got in his car and waited for Dean to get settled before starting it and heading back out. He was going to take the quickest route to Cottonwood and hope whatever Sam had gotten himself mixed up in wasn’t dangerous.

**spn**

The bus pulled into Cottonwood and Sam waited for the other passengers to get off before he motioned to Lelon to follow him. They exited the bus and Sam stepped out of the flow of traffic and looked around trying to get his bearings. It was running two and a half hours late due mechanical issues with the bus. They had to wait for another to come from Cottonwood to pick them up.

This was a good thing for the ones following them in hopes to catch up with them, but Sam didn’t know that. He thought he had a good head start before Dean and Bobby found him missing.

He saw a map posted on the wall of the station and headed to it. He studied it for several minutes as Lelon stood close by his side warily watching the people around them. All of this was a bit overwhelming to him and he wanted to get away from it back to the forest and his home.

“Alright, I know where to go,” Sam said looking up at Lelon. “First, let’s get something to eat and we’ll head for the mountains. I don’t know how far we can get today, but when it gets dark, we’ll find a place to stop and wait for dawn.”

“Okay,” Lelon said anxious to leave this town.

Sam led them down the street toward where the businesses were and where several restaurants were located. He chose a sub shop and they went inside to order. It was between lunch and dinner, so the place wasn’t crowded. Sam ordered a foot-long sub and waters wanting to conserve what little money they had. When the sandwich was ready, he guided Lelon to a table and gave him half the sub and a water. They quickly ate and went to the restroom before heading out.

It didn’t take Sam long to lead them out of the small town and to the foot of the mountains that bordered one side of it. He kept off the main road that led out of town and instead followed a trail that wove through the forest. He stopped and pulled out the maps he printed out and a compass. After getting his bearings, Sam looked around deciding on the best way to continue. They had a couple of hours of light maybe left before they would have to find a place to stop for the night.

“We should head this way,” Sam decided pocketing the papers and compass. “We can hike maybe a couple of hours before finding a place to stop for the night.”

“Like forest better, town too…” Lelon started trying to find the right word.

“Congested, crowded, smelly?” Sam filled in. He laughed softly as he continued. “I agree.”

They walked deeper into the forest away from the road and the noises of cars passing by. The forest was alive around them with the sounds of insects, animals, birds and the wind blowing in the treetops rubbing branches together making an eerie creaking sound.

Lelon stopped several times to show Sam berries that they could eat and plants that could be used as medicine. Sam showed him the plants he knew from his reading and they found some wild grapes that they picked for later. After another hour, Sam decided to stop since the light was fading. He didn’t want to be wandering around in the dark and get lost. He found a fallen tree which branches that formed a shelter they could use. Sam found a broken branch and swept the ground to rid it of rocks, bugs, and twigs. They settled down to munch on peanut butter crackers and grapes and washed them down with some water. The blankets were used to make a nest that the boys snuggled together in for warmth and comfort. They drifted to sleep to the music of the forest not knowing two different forces were searching for them.

**spn**

Bobby pulled into the bus station in Cottonwood in record time. They had only stopped for gas and restroom break and were lucky traffic moved at a fast pace across South Dakota. Dean spelled Bobby once in the drive for a few hours before letting him take over a couple of hours outside of Cottonwood.

“I’ll go in and check when the bus got here,” Bobby told Dean.

“Alright, I’m going to walk around to see if by chance I spot Sammy,” he replied. Dean walked down the street a short distance looking around trying to decide what his brother would do. He wasn’t sure if Sam had been taken by someone or he ran away for some reason. He didn’t know of anything happened at school that would warrant this action but couldn’t come up with one. He retraced his steps back to the station and found Bobby waiting.

“Seems luck is on our side, the bus was late getting in. Sam’s only go maybe an hour, or two head start on us. We’ll grab something to eat, find a place to leave the car, and see if we can follow the map Sam printed out.”

“He has to know we’re going to be looking for him, but he won’t know we came home early, so he won’t be hiding his trail or probably be in a rush.”

“Another thing in our favor. Let’s hope Sam is behind this and it’s not someone else pulling the ropes.”

**spn**

Sam startled awake as several birds screeched overhead. Lelon stirred beside him and raised up to look around.

“Let’s eat something and get moving. I don’t know how long it’ll take us to get to the place in the woods I found,” Sam told him pulling out protein bars and the water. They ate quickly and quenched their thirst before getting up and folding their blankets to tie back to their packs. Once they relieved themselves, Sam got a reading with the compass and got his bearings to be sure which way to go. They started hiking through the trees as the sun slowly crept higher in the sky. The air stayed cool under the canopy of tree branches overhead. Both boys almost had a heart attack when they scared a deer from the brush that ran out in front of them.

After several hours of hiking, they ran across a fast-flowing stream and Sam decided to take a fifteen-minute break so they could rest and cool off. The water was cold and refreshing. Both boys splashed water on their hot faces and let it run down the back of their necks making them shiver but it felt good. They lounged on the rocks by the river to rest taking in the beauty of the serene place.

Sam pushed up from the rock knowing they needed to start out again. He wanted to get to the area today to see if they could find Lelon’s way home.

Sam stepped out of the trees and looked out across a clearing to the forest on the other side. He looked around getting a sense of something off but couldn’t figure out what it was. He started walking cautiously across the space, his eyes roaming from side to side, looking for any danger. They were halfway across the clearing when suddenly both boys fell down feeling something tighten around their ankles. Lelon cried out in pain and pulled at his leg trying to get free. Sam was doing the same, trying to see what was holding him. He saw some type of snare that tightened around his ankle the more he tried to get free. Sam was reaching for his knife when a he heard footsteps coming toward them.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” a gruff male voice sneered from behind Sam.

Sam jerked around in fright to see a rough looking, older man leering at him. He tried to get away but was restrained by what was around his ankle.

“Hey, we got two for the price of one,” another male voice answered that was standing behind Lelon.

The boys tried to crawl toward each other, but each man grabbed one of them. The cord was removed from their ankles and they held the boys by their knapsacks. Sam stared throwing punches and kicking backward trying to make contact with his captor. Lelon was fighting just as hard. Sam managed to get his arms from his pack and stumbled away only to be grabbed with rough hands. He kicked out barely missing the man’s groin and was rewarded with a slap across the face. The one holding the elf yelled in pain when Lelon bit down on his captor’s hand that got too close to his mouth. He was suddenly backhanded, sending his head snapping to the side. Both boys screamed out in pain and rage knowing they had to get free.

Two bodies exploded from the forest from opposite directions. One releasing a roar of anger, the other yelling a battle cry as they collided with the men holding their brothers.

Dean rammed into the brute making ready to slap Sam again and knocked Sam loose. He was punching and kicking and gouging the man before making it to his feet. Dean was seeing red and nothing was stopping him from taking his revenge out on the man that dared hurt his little brother. As the man tried to get up, Dean threw punches one after the other and rammed his knee into the man’s face, breaking his nose. He fell backwards but Dean didn’t stop. He aimed a well-placed kick to the unprotected groin making him curl in on himself as he screamed in pain. Dean pulled out his gun and aimed it at the stranger and tightened his finger on the trigger.

“No Dean!” Sam cried out knowing he couldn’t let Dean kill the man.

The sound of his brother’s voice seemed to break through this rage, and he used the butt of the gun to knock the older man out. He gave him one final kick in the ribs before turning to look at the other person fighting nearby.

Lelon’s brother launched himself from the ground and with his wooden sticks out and ready, he attacked the stranger hurting his brother. One stick came down on his arm breaking it causing him to release Lelon who rolled out of the way. He spun around using his sticks to beat the man. He was fast and he made his hits count. With one final round house kick to the jaw, the older elf sent the man flying backwards unconscious. He made ready to go in for the kill when a voice called to him.

“No Eldar!” Lelon cried out.

Sam rolled into Lelon and they helped each other to stand while watching wide eyed as their brothers unleased their fury and wrath. They stopped their brothers from killing the men who caught and attacked them.

Dean quickly stepped to Sam, and Eldar stepped to Lelon. Both pulling their brothers into a tight hug against their chests. Relief showed on their faces that they had found their brothers before either were hurt.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he said loudly, holding him out in front of him. “You scared the crap out of me Sammy!” he chastised him giving him a little shake. He looked down into the dirty, tear stained face of his little brother who was trying to get his breath as he sobbed, and his breath hitched.

“I was..I-I was...Trying…To help Lelon get home…” Sam stuttered out glancing at Lelon as he spoke.

Eldar looked down at his brother and scolded him in their language as Lelon’s lower lip trembled and huge tears rolled from his eyes. Lelon spoke to him and pointed to Sam.

Dean looked over Sam’s head toward Eldar an understanding passing between them.

Before anything else could be said, Bobby ran from the trees with his gun drawn ready to fight and three elves emerged from the other way with arrows notched ready to fight too.

“Dean?” Bobby questioned not sure what was going on.

“It’s okay Bobby, they’re not the enemy,” Dean told him.

Bobby lowered his gun and stepped closer seeing the two men lying unconscious on the ground.

Eldar spoke to his warriors and they lowered their bows and waited patiently nearby for their leader.

“It seems our brothers have had an adventure,” Eldar spoke first. “I am Eldar, from the Riverbend Elves.”

“Dean Winchester and my brother Sam,” Dean introduced them. “That’s our Uncle Bobby.”

“My brother Lelon,” Eldar said looking down at his little brother who was hugging his side. “Thank you, young Sam for trying to help my brother get home.”

“You’re welcome,” Sam replied stepping toward him. “I am sorry this happened,” Sam continued looking to the unconscious men. “I never knew we would run into them.”

“That was not your fault Sammy. You didn’t know,” Dean told him. “Why didn’t you tell me or Bobby you found him and let us help?” he chastised him.

“I wanted to prove to you, and Dad, I could hunt too and not just do the research,” Sam said hanging his head for a moment a he fought the tears.

“Awe Sammy, you don’t have to prove anything to me. The reason Dad won’t let you hunt yet is not because you can’t but because you need a little more weight and height on you. You’ll have another growth spurt and who knows you might get as big as me.”

“I’m going to be bigger than you,” Sam mumbled wiping his face as he looked up at his big brother.

“We shall return to our home now,” Eldar said. He bowed to them as they made ready to leave.

“Wait,” Sam said looking around for his pack. He spotted it and went to get it. Sam pulled out something wrapped in tissue paper and handed it to Lelon. “So, you will remember me.”

Lelon unwrapped the gift to find a geode that had been crack open revealing the formations of amethyst and crystals.

“It is my favorite one and I want you to have it.”

Lelon spoke softly to his brother and he nodded yes taking the stone. Lelon reached and untied a slim leather strap from around his neck and handed it to Sam.

“Our clan’s crest, for you,” Lelon told Sam pressing it into his hand.

Sam held up the round amulet of gold and saw etching in the metal. “Thank you.” Sam tied it around his neck and let it fall under his tee shirt.

The boys looked at each other before quickly hugging tightly and then stepped away wiping tears from their faces. Dean held out his hand to Eldar and they shook hands, nodding. The elves walked back into the forest and quickly disappeared before their eyes.

“Well, what do we do with these two?” Bobby asked after the elves left.

“Leave the assholes out here and let the locals know about them,” Dean growled in anger. He gave the one that attacked Sam another hard kick as he passed him. “C’mon Sammy, let’s go home.”

Sam let Dean ruffle his hair and sling an arm around his shoulders as they started their hike back to Cottonwood.

“Dean?” Sam asked in a cautious voice.

“Yeah Sammy?”

“Do we have to tell Dad about this?”

“Naw Sammy. It’ll be our secret, right Bobby?”

“Yeah, no one was hurt, and I think you learned your lesson. Isn’t that right Sam?”

“Yes, I will tell you or Dean next time before I go off on my own.”

“Let’s try not have a next time Sammy.”

“We’ll see,” Sam shrugged to get a rap on the head from Dean.

“Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

**The End**

**============================================**

**A/N: Thank you for taking this journey with me. Comments are great. NC**


	9. Chapter 9

**F**

**Part I**

“Food’s here,” Dean called letting himself into the motel room he was sharing with his brother.

Sam looked up from the screen of his laptop as Dean made his way to the table and pushed papers out of the way so he could sit the bags on the table.

“Hey! Give me a sec,” he complained as he gathered the papers and stacked them with the laptop to move out of the way so they wouldn’t get messed up. “What took so long?”

“Had a nice chat with the hostess,” Dean shrugged holding up a slip of paper with her number on it.

“It figures it was because of a girl,” Sam fussed.

“I’m hungry and want to eat before it gets cold,” Dean told him. He removed the cartons of food and drink and divided them between his brother and himself. He opened his container and breathed in deeply the aroma of the bacon double cheeseburger before sighing happily. “Come to papa.” Dean took a large bite of his burger, humming, and making weird noises as he savored the tastes that exploded in his mouth.

“Do you want to be alone with your food?” Sam asked looking in disgust at his brother.

“You’re just jealous ‘cause you’re not eating real food like me.”

“This is healthy food and I don’t have to worry about getting clogged arteries,” Sam shot back as he took a bite of his salad.

“Don’t know what you’re missing Sammy. Did you find us a case?” he asked around another bite.

“Dude! At least chew and swallow before talking,” Sam chastised him. “I might have. There’s a town about six hours from here and on our way to Bobby’s that have had some unusual deaths. The strange thing is all have been drug dealers and gang members. And adults and kids both say they’ve seen people who are dead.”

“You thinking maybe a vengeful spirit?”

“I don’t know, they wouldn’t single out just the bad guys would it? One woman says it’s an angel watching over them.”

“That’s a laugh. The angels we’ve met are all dicks. They wouldn’t be watching out for anyone. Guess it’s worth checking out. If we get an early start, we can be there before lunch tomorrow.”

“It’s an early night for me then.”

“Guess calling...” Dean started looking back at the phone number before continuing. “Mandy is out if we’re heading out early. I don’t think we’d be doing much sleeping if I went to see her.”

“Yeah, if you don’t get sleep, you’re a grouch and an asshole the next day.”

“Am not,” Dean complained loudly. “And how would you know since you’re asleep ten minutes into the drive?”

“I’ve offered to drive, and you won’t let me. So, can’t blame me for that.”

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.”

**spn**

“Tell me again where we’re going?”

“Ames, Iowa. You need to pick up Interstate 35 north toward Des Moines,” Sam told him looking at his cell and the map he pulled up.

“Got it. After we get a room where should we go first? To see the local cops or try to talk to witnesses?”

“Probably the locals and get the police reports and autopsy reports. That way we might get information on who to talk to or places to go check out.”

“You say gangs are involved and drug dealers? That doesn’t sound good. I’d rather deal with monsters than humans. At least with monsters we know where we stand.”

“I know, but I think the locals are hiding something about the killings.”

“Guess we’ll find out when we get there.” Dean turned on the radio, ending the conversation, and found a station to his liking. He settled back and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. He merged into traffic and found vehicles that were moving to his liking and joined in.

It was thirty minutes into the drive and Dean glanced over at his brother to see his head rocking gently with the motion of the car. His eyes were closed, and his mouth was slightly open as he breathed softly and evenly. He smirked to himself surprised Sam had lasted this long. Being hunters, sometimes you had to sleep when and where you could.

With traffic moving steadily, and not stopping along the way, Dean made it to Ames in a little over five hours. He drove through the town and checked it out before deciding on a motel that was near several restaurants. He stopped at the gas station below the motel to fill the Impala up before going to the motel making Sam get out to get them a room.

Dean parked in front of the room and opened the trunk to get their duffels and suit bags. They were going in as FBI and needed to look the part.

“You can have the bathroom first,” Sam told him as he sat his bags on the bed away from the door.

“Okay,” Dean grunted pulling his suit from the bag. He stepped into the bathroom shutting the door behind him.

Sam pulled his suit and shirt from the bag and shook it out thinking it would probably need cleaning after this case. He didn’t mind wearing the suit because it made him think of what could have been, even though it brought back sad memories too. Sam was shaking off his thoughts when Dean stepped out of the bathroom fussing with his tie.

“Why the FBI thinks this is the best way to dress when on case is beyond me,” he complained as he worked on getting the tie adjusted and smoothed down.

“It’s the image they want to express,” Sam replied before taking his turn in the bathroom. He came out to find Dean checking his gun before slipping it into the small of his back and a knife into a pocket. Sam went to the weapon’s bag and got his own gun and did the same.

Traffic was picking up since it was close to lunchtime, and it took a little longer for them to get to the police station. Dean found the visitor’s parking and took a space. They got out and made their way to the front doors and walked up to the front desk manned by an older woman in uniform. She looked at them for a moment and arched an eyebrow before speaking.

“Fed or Homeland?” she asked.

“FBI officer,” Dean stated pulling out his credentials. “Agent Stills and my partner Agent Nash.”

“Pegged you for one of those alphabet groups. How may I help you?” she asked.

“We’d like to speak to the person in charge of the latest murders you’ve been having in your town.”

“That would be Detective Lee. Have a seat agent, and I’ll let him know you’re here.”

They moved to the chairs sitting against the wall behind them and took a seat. Dean watched the woman as she spoke quietly on the phone. Sam let his eyes wander around the office checking out everything pinned to the walls.

It was fifteen minutes later that a medium build, older man stepped through a door behind the front desk. He approached the brothers as they stood to greet him.

“I’m Detective Lee if you’ll follow me agents,” he said. Lee stepped to the side, holding the door for them to enter.

They followed him into a large room that had desks scattered throughout with officers working on paperwork or on the phone or talking to one another. He led them to the back of the room where there were several offices and a conference room. The noise in the room dropped a level as everyone eyed the new arrivals with interest.

“Gentlemen, you’re from the FBI?” he asked.

“Yes Detective, Agents Stills and Nash. We were sent to help out with the murders you’ve had lately,” Dean replied.

“I don’t recall requesting any help from the FBI.”

“It came from higher up the chain in the bureau sir. We just go where they send us,” Sam said.

“Guess it won’t hurt. We’re not getting anywhere with the deaths, but I have to say there won’t be many people missing these scumbags.”

“So, all of the victims were on the wrong side of the law?”

“Yes, drug dealers and gang members.”

“Could we get a copy of your reports on the deaths?”

“Sure, I’ll have Marge compile them for you,” he replied picking up the phone and speaking for a few moments before hanging up. “Maybe you’ll see something we missed. Bad thing is people aren’t talking much since they’re happy these bad people have been taken off the streets. They don’t want to get whoever did this in trouble.”

“We’ll be checking out the scenes and interviewing any witnesses this afternoon.”

“Well, good luck with that but don’t be surprised if people don’t cooperate.”

“What is your take on the murders?”

“I’ve not seen killings like this before. I mean one looked like someone rammed their hand into the guy’s chest and ripped out his heart. Another just seemed to stop breathing with no signs of trauma and one was tossed off a building to land on the spikes of a fence. Several had rebar drove through their bodies with enough force to pin them to a wall. I mean I don’t know many people who could do that.”

There was a knock and Marge stepped into the office with a thick folder in her hand that she handed to the detective. She gave the guys another curious look before leaving.

“Thank you and if you can point us to the morgue, we’d like to see the bodies,” Dean said. He accepted the folder and handed it to Sam.

“It’s in the basement of the hospital which is three blocks down the street. There are signs where you need to turn. I’ll call and let the coroner know you’re coming.”

“Thank you, that will help,” Sam noted.

The brothers stood to leave and shook the detective’s hand.

“If you get any leads, you’ll let me know.”

“Of course. We’ll keep you abreast of the situation.”

“Detective.”

“Agents,” Lee nodded watching the brothers leave thinking something just didn’t seem right about those two. He decided he was going to keep an eye on them.

“These injuries could be from a vengeful spirit I guess, but I’m not sure why these people,” Sam mumbled as he began scanning the files. I’ll need to make some comparisons when we get back to the motel and see what they have in common or how they are linked besides being in a gang.”

“After we check the bodies, we’ll visit some of the crime scenes and see if there’s anything off about them.”

“Alright, it looks like several are close together,” Sam replied flipping through the different reports noting the location of the bodies.

Dean saw the signs for the hospital and turned right following them until he saw the four-story building on the right and turned on the road that led to it. He headed around back to the morgue entrance and found a place to park. They got out and headed for the door to go inside and followed the signs to the morgue.

The chill in the air hit them as soon as they stepped through the double doors and the smell made both of them wrinkle their noses. The morgues were all the same no matter where they were in the country. Dean pushed open another door and stepped into the autopsy room with three stainless steel tables, two desks, several filing cabinets and storage units on the opposite wall.

“May I help you?” an older, mature man asked as he stepped through the door of an adjoining room.

“We’re with the FBI. Detective Lee was to call you. We’re here to see the bodies of the murder victims,” Dean told him.

“He did, just a few minutes ago. You’re lucky they’re still here. Not sure if anyone is going to claim the bodies or not. We didn’t find any next of kin for a couple of them.” The coroner moved to the wall that had metal doors lined up and down it and looked at the tags on the front of the drawers before pulling part of out the ones they wanted to see. “Here you go. Have a look, but I’m not sure it’ll do any good.”

“Could we get a copy of your autopsy reports on these individuals too?” Sam asked grabbing a pair of gloves from a box sitting nearby and tossed a pair to Dean.

“Sure, anything for the FBI,” he replied heading to a desk and looking at a clipboard before going to the filing cabinets. He began to remove file folders and moved to a copier to make copies.

Dean pulled down the sheet on the first body and studied it counting five circular wounds on his chest. He figured this one was the one that had rebar drove through his body. He didn’t see any bite marks or wounds from weapons. After noting the gang markings and letting Sam take photos of them, he moved to the next. This one had a hole in his chest that was ragged and raw. There was no way a weapon made it either. Someone had plunged a hand into his chest. Once they had checked the other bodies and taken photos, Sam accepted the reports from the coroner. With a brief thank you, they left and headed back to the car to go find the crime scenes.

**spn**

Dean and Sam looked around the neighborhood as they got out of the Impala. Dean eyed some teenagers with a _touch the ride and die_ look and then following Sam to an alleyway. They walked a short distance before finding the yellow police tape and looked around. There was still dried blood on the asphalt near a dumpster and Sam stopped to look around the area before looking back at the crime scene.

“Do you see anything?” Dean asked kneeling down and looking around on the ground around the dumpster but not seeing any evidence of what attacked the victim.

They walked back to the street and looked up and down the sidewalk to see what businesses were in the area. Sam noticed flowers and cards near a church on the corner and walked that way to see what it was. He stopped and looked at the memorial wondering who it was for. When Sam saw a priest coming out of the doors of the church, he stopped him to ask.

“Excuse me Father, who is this for?” Sam asked pointing to the items gathered around a place at the iron fence near the steps.

“That is in memory of Father Nicholas, he was killed about a month ago. Everyone loved him. He was an advocate for the kids around here. Father Nicholas helped run the community center and worked to keep kids from getting involved in the gangs around here. He had afterschool programs and fought to keep the gangs out of the neighborhood here.”

“Did they catch who killed him?” Dean asked.

“No, the police investigated the crime but there was no evidence, and no one saw anything. Everyone knew it was the gang wanting to get rid of him, but when you don’t have evidence there’s not much they could do. It was a tragedy and a big loss for us,” the priest said sadly. He looked to the flowers and cards and couldn’t help the tears that filled his eyes.

“Thank you, Father,” Sam told him before excusing himself and heading back to the Impala with Dean. He stopped when he saw several teenagers putting flowers where the Father was killed. “Excuse me,” Sam spoke to them.

“Yes,” the older girl asked as the younger one stood slightly back behind her.

“Did you know Father Nicholas?”

“Yes, he ran the community center. He was good to all of us.”

“Do you know who might have killed the Father?” Dean asked.

The two girls looked at each other a hint of fear in their eyes.

“We all know,” the older mumbled. “The Savage Skulls wanted Father Nicholas dead.”

“Is that the gang around here?”

“Yes, they try to recruit the kids around here to help run drugs. Father Nicholas tried to protect the neighborhood and they killed him for it.”

“I’ve seen him,” the younger girl whispered looking up at Dean and Sam.

“Seen who?” Sam asked softly.

“Father Nicholas. He was in the church a few days ago after choir practice broke up. I was putting the books away and he was standing at the altar praying.”

“Thank you for telling us this,” Sam said. He watched the girls walk down the sidewalk until they turned at the corner.

They got in the car and Dean cranked her up and pulled away. “What are you thinking?”

“Maybe Father Nicholas came back to protect his flock.”

“You mean a vengeful spirit?”

“No, I remember reading about spirits called Fext in one of Bobby’s books. Hold on let me look it up,” Sam said. He pulled his cell out and went online typing quickly. “It says they come from Slavic mythology and were associated with the Thirty Year War in central Europe. Some of the leaders during that time were call Fext because they claimed immortality. They are a revenant that comes back because of unfinished business. Maybe Father Nicholas’ unfinished business is cleaning up his neighborhood and keeping the kids safe. He seemed to care a lot for his flock.”

“And how do we deal with a Fext?” Dean asked as he headed for another crime scene across town. “And if this is the Father, why would he go all the way across town to kill these drug dealers?”

“Is the gang and the drug dealers connected in anyway?”

“Don’t know, after checking out the next two crime scenes, we need to head to the motel and compare notes to see what we might be dealing with here.”

Dean was almost to the next crime scene and slowed when he drove through a school zone. He was watching for kids and didn’t see the bunches of flowers and cards at the fence by the school.

“Wait Dean!” Sam cried out making him slam on the breaks. He jumped out and ran around the car before Dean could pull to the side of the road.

“Where are you going?” Dean called to him not sure what Sam had seen. He watched him run across the street and stop a couple of high school kids to talk to them for a few minutes before making his way back to the Impala. “What was that about?”

“There was a teacher killed here about six weeks ago. We need to get the reports on his death and the Father’s death,” Sam explained pulling out his cell and looking for the number of the local cops. He spoke to Marge, identifying himself and asked for the files to be copied and left at the front for them to pick up.

“You’ve got an idea about this don’t you? I can see the wheels turning in that huge brain of yours.”

“Yes, but I want to wait until we get everything together before I say anything.”

“Okay, the next crime scene is up ahead near the school.”

**spn**

“Can you get the door?” Sam asked as he juggled the file folders, a bag of food and his jacket while he waited for his brother.

“Give me a sec,” Dean mumbled feeling around for the key until he found it. He opened the door and allowed Sam to go in first before following and locking it behind him. “We eat first and then try to make sense of this case.” He knew when his brother got in the zone nothing else mattered and that included food and drink.

“Fine,” Sam replied sitting everything but the food on the bed out of the way. He was itching to prove his theory and kept glancing at the files as he pulled food from the bag. He wanted to get to work since his mind was whirling and he needed to see if his theory was right. He felt anxious and tense and would be that way until he could answer the questions rolling around in his head.

Dean knew that look and that Sam’s mind was working even if he wasn’t. He had gotten used to how Sam worked over the years and it didn’t faze him anymore. He just made sure he drank and ate something while he was in his own world solving the problems. He cut a piece of hamburger steak and dipped it in gravy before putting it in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. 

When they finished eating, the table was cleared, and the folders were divided between them to go through and see if there were any connections between the drug dealers and the gang. Sam pulled a legal pad over and started taking notes as he flipped through the pages of reports. He dug out a map of the town and marked the crime scenes with one color and marked where the teacher and priest were killed.

Dean rubbed his tired eyes and got up to go grab something from the drink machine outside. “Want something to drink Sammy?”

Sam was scribbling quickly on his pad and glancing back at the reports but didn’t answer him.

“Sammy!” Dean said louder. “Do you want something to drink?”

Sam jerked with Dean’s loud voice and looked up at him. He let what he said sink in for a moment before answering. “Sure, anything’s fine.”

“I’ll be back in a few minutes. You need to stretch and walk around Sammy. We’ve been at this for over two hours.”

Sam looked at the pages and knew Dean was right. His shoulders were tired, and his eyes were getting scratchy, so he pushed his chair back and got up twisting from side to side and stretching his arms over his head. He walked around in the room as Dean went out the door. Feeling the need to pee, Sam headed into the bathroom to use it. After he was done, he ran cold water and splashed it on his face making his eyes feel better. He felt a little better as he stepped from the bathroom as Dean was coming back into the room.

“Here you go, drink,” Dean ordered sitting a bottle of water at Sam’s laptop. “I know how you are when you’re like this.”

“Thanks.”

“So, you gonna tell me what you’ve found, or do I have to play twenty questions?”

“Okay, I think I know what’s going on,” Sam said leaning back in his chair and sipping on the cold drink. “We have two Fext instead of one. I read all the police reports on the teacher that was killed, named Tyler Cooper. From interviews and what I could find online, he was a great guy and cared about the kids at the school. He really went above what normal teachers do to get the kids involved and keep them interested. I found numerous reports he made to the cops that he thought someone in the school was selling drugs to the students at the school, but he had no proof. He would call the cops if he saw anyone trying to sell drugs around the school. There were a few death threats made from dealers since he was making them lose money. He was leaving the school after a basketball game and was attacked. He was stabbed like six times and would have lived if one of the stabs hadn’t nicked a major artery. He bled out before help could get there.”

“And you think he’s behind the drug dealers that have been killed and the priest is behind the gang members being killed?”

“It makes sense. They both had unfinished business, and both want to protect the kids and community. Neither have harmed any other people since the killings have begun. Father Nicholas was gunned down in a drive by shooting. He didn’t stand a chance. Drive by shootings are a gang thing and from the police report no one saw anything since it was at night and the streets were empty.”

“So, what do we do? I think they’re making a difference taking the scum off the streets. More power to them.”

“Maybe we can help them finish this and then they can be at peace and move on.”

“How do we do that?”

“We need to try and talk to them. Remember the girl said she saw Father Nicholas in the church. Maybe we can do a seance there, summon him and talk to him. Since they’re both on our plane of existence maybe he can find Cooper and we can help them.”

“You really think that will work?”

“Why not, I’m with you I can’t see salt and burning their bones, that is if they were buried, when all they want to do is protect the ones who can’t protect themselves.”

“This will be a first for me, breaking into a church. Don’t think we’ll go to hell for that do you?” Dean asked as he got up. “Might as well go check the church out tonight.”

“Do we have what we’ll need for a seance in the trunk?”

“Yeah, should have the things. Let me use the bathroom and we’ll go back to the church.”

Sam looked around for his jacket and dug their father’s journal from his bag to find information on seances. He quickly copied it down and stowed it back in the duffel for safe keeping. He folded the paper and slipped it into his jacket as Dean was coming from the bathroom.

“You ready?” Dean asked.

“Yes.”

They left the room and stepped to the Impala and drove back to the church where the priest had been killed.

**spn**

“What’s taking so long?” Sam hissed as he looked around to be sure no one was around to see them breaking into the church.

“Just a sec,” Dean grumbled as he wiggled the lock picks in the door’s lock and smiled when he heard the click. He stood and eased the door open so they could slip inside.

They paused in the entryway and pulled out flashlights before moving deeper into the church. They made their way down the aisle of the sanctuary to the front. Sam went behind the pulpit to the altar and sat his pack on the table. He pulled out a black silk cloth with sigils on it and laid it out, spreading it flat. The deep purple candles were placed in four corners for each compass point. Sam pulled out the folded paper with the instructions on it and read through it. He places a brass bowl in the middle and pulled out herbs and spices sprinkling each into the bowl. The last thing he needed was his own blood. He took a small knife and pricked his finger to let blood drip into the bowl. Once that was done, he looked to his brother letting him know he was ready.

“Dean, we need to join hands,” Sam said. He lit the candles and waited for Dean before tossing a match into the bowl lighting the ingredients. A flash of flames whooshed upward as smoke curled around their heads. An earthly, sweet aroma filled the air around them.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Dean whispered as he gripped his brother’s hands.

“Quiet!” Sam insisted. “I call upon the spirits to come to me, hear my voice. Come to me Father Nicholas, show yourself,” Sam started talking in a calm, steady voice. “We mean you no harm. We want to help you so you can find peace.”

Dean looked around the altar as he stiffened waiting to see if anything was going to happen. He looked back to Sam who had closed his eyes and was breathing deeply and slowly as he continued talking.

“Father Nicholas are you here? We know you were murdered when you tried to keep the gangs from taking over your neighborhood. You wanted to keep your flock safe. Come forth and let yourself be seen.”

Dean felt a chill in the air and blew out seeing his breath form small white mist in front of his face. Sam’s hand tightened his grip to an almost painful point as he scrunched over slightly and stilled.

A shimmering in the air nearby caught Dean’s attention and he watched as a body slowly began to take shape, flickering in and out, until it became corporal and Father Nicholas stood before them.

“Sam,” Dean whispered when he saw Sam still had his eyes closed. “Sammy!” he hissed giving his arm a shake to break his concentration.

Sam opened his eyes slowly, blinking quickly as he drew in a shallow breath. He looked up and saw Dean staring at something and turned to look that way too.

“Father Nicholas?” Sam asked carefully keeping a firm grip on Dean’s sweaty hands that trembled slightly.

“Why have you called to me? And how did you know how to do this?” the spirit asked looking at the two brothers with a frown on his face.

“We know why you’re here and have not moved on. You are still trying to protect the community and people that live here.”

“The police can only do so much. The Savage Skulls were forcing kids to be dealers by threatening their families. I stood up to them and they didn’t like it. They gunned me down on my way back from the community center as a warning to others.”

“We want to help you Father. If we can get evidence on the gang leaders and get them off the streets, maybe we can break it up,” Sam offered.

“You could find out where the illegal things are happening, and we can take them down. You can be our eyes and ears inside the gang,” Dean added.

“You think you can do that? Can you really stop them? They’re dangerous and well-armed.”

“We’ve hunted and killed worse than these gang members Father,” Dean told him. “We’re hunters and good at it.”

“There is someone else who was killed around the same time as you, a Taylor Cooper. He was a teacher at the high school across town. Cooper was trying to keep drug dealers away for the school to keep them from selling to the students. He has come back just like you to try and continue his mission. Do you think you could find him and have him talk to us?” Sam asked. “We will help both of you and then you and Cooper can be a peace.”

“I met Mr. Cooper at the community center. He was a dedicated teacher and cared about his students. I will see what I can do.”

“We are staying at the Comfort Inn in room 17,” Dean said. “You can come there, and we will work on a plan to get rid of both parties.”

“Why would you even care? They are evil people who deserve to die.”

“Because we don’t want to see you turn into a vengeful spirit who won’t be able to control who they kill. You could kill innocent people before you are stopped.”

“I will see what I can do to find Mr. Cooper and will find you,” Father Nicholas told them before fading and disappearing.

“Excuse me, can I help you?” a voice asked from the side of room.

“Crap, it’s a Father,” Dean whispered quickly as he jerked his hands free and went to head him off so Sam could stash the evidence of the séance. He stepped down to stop the Father before he got any closer. “Hello Father, we talked to you earlier; we’re FBI and are looking into the deaths happening in this town.”

Sam grabbed his pack and blew out the candles before grabbing up the silk cloth with the bowl and candles still on it and stuffed it quickly into the pack. He shouldered it and went to join Dean and the Father.

“Of course, but how did you get in here? The doors were supposed to be locked.”

“Guess one was missed,” Sam added. “We wanted to know if you have had any more trouble with the gang, Salvage Skulls, since Father Nicholas’ death.”

“Not really. I think they’re laying low for a while to stay off the police radar. I’m sure they’ll be back at it in no time.”

“Maybe we can help with that. Thank you, Father, we’ll be going now,” Dean replied wanting to get away before more questions they couldn’t answer were asked.

“I thought I heard you talking to someone else when I walked in.”

“No, it was just us. We better be going,” Sam answered as he pushed Dean down the aisle and toward the front doors. “We’ll be in touch.”

Once they were outside and, in the car, Dean finally spoke.

“You think he’ll be able to find Cooper and he will agree to this too?”

“I hope so. If not, I’m not sure what we’ll do. The book said a Fext can’t be stopped by conventional methods.”

“Oh, that’s good to know. And what’s to stop them from turning vengeful?” Dean complained throwing his hand up in anger.

“I don’t know. There was no reference to that. Let’s just hope they will agree to our terms and we can stop them from killing any more even if they are bad guys.”

“Guess we should head back and try to get some sleep. No telling when or if they will come,” Dean sighed cranking the Impala and heading back to the motel. Neither brother spoke on the way to the motel, each lost in their own thoughts.

==============================================

**A/N: So, can the brothers convince the Fexts to help them? Thank you for taking this journey with me. I hope you enjoy this creature. Comments are great. NC**


	10. Chapter 10

**F**

**Part II**

Sam rolled over in bed and shivered coming partly awake and wondering why Dean would turn the air condition down so low. He tried to find more blankets opening his eyes in slits to see two figures at the foot of his bed.

“Holy crap!” Sam cried out pushing himself up in the bed. “Dean!” he called to his brother throwing a pillow at him.

“What?” Dean slurred as he started waking up and noticed how cold it was in the room. “Trying to freeze us Sammy?”

“We have company, wake up.”

“What?” he asked rolling over to look where Sam was looking. “Guess spirits can’t tell time,” he grumbled. “Can I at least put some clothes on? It’s freezing in here.”

“No joke,” Sam agreed. “Thank you for coming, give us a minute to get dressed and we’ll talk.”

“As you wish,” Father Nicholas said moving back from the bed.

Sam got up and snagged clothes from his duffle. “I’ll start some coffee while you change first.”

“Good, gonna need some caffeine to get going this early.” Dean got up shivering from the cold as he pulled out his own clothes and disappeared into the bathroom first.

Sam moved to the small coffee pot and hit start since he had set it up the night before. He looked at the time and saw it was almost five. He couldn’t suppress the yawn that came out as he looked over at the two spirits waiting patiently for them. He picked up his clothes when Dean stepped from the bathroom and took his place.

Dean dropped his sleep clothes on his duffle and moved to the coffee pot waiting on it to finish brewing. He poured a cup and took a seat at the table. After blowing across the coffee, he took a tentative sip hoping it would help wake him up and warm him up.

A few minutes later, Sam joined them and poured his own coffee, adding creamer and sugar. He took a seat by his brother before speaking.

“We know both of you were killed by people who wanted you out of the way because of what you were doing to help the community here,” Sam started. “We want to help you resolve these issues so you can find peace and move on.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” Cooper asked. “And how do we know it will work?”

“With your help. If we can catch the leader and his henchmen in illegal acts, they will be arrested and put in prison. The drug dealers the same thing. We take them out of the equation, and everyone wins,” Sam explained. “Being spirits you can go places we can’t and find where they’re keeping stashed drugs, money, guns, and anything else that will put them away.”

“It would be easier to kill them,” Cooper said his anger spiking as his eyes flashed darkly. 

“He is telling the truth,” Dean shrugged.

“You’re not helping,” Sam mumbled to him. “The more you kill, the more attention you draw to the community. If we can get them put away it will send a message to others and maybe you scare them straight. Word would get around to others to leave this community alone.”

The spirits looked at each other as they thought about what Sam had said.

“The police report said you thought someone in the school was selling to the high school kids. Did you ever figure out who it was?”

“I was getting close before I was killed,” Cooper said. “I know now it was a guidance counselor, but he left a week after I was killed.”

“Do you think anyone else took his place?”

“Not that I have seen. I’ve been back and watched the dealers stay off school property, but they are close by.”

“Will you help us take them down?”

“We will.”

“If you can find stash houses or wherever they have stuff and let us know about it, then we’ll take them down and call in a tip to the locals to make the arrest. The more evidence we can get, the easier it will be to convict them.”

“And you can scare the shit out of anyone you want to get your point across to stay out of your community,” Dean added getting a bitch look from Sam.

“You two could team up and take both parties out,” Sam offered.

“We will let you know what we find,” Father Nicholas replied before they both disappeared from the room.

“Man! I was going to tell them to come at a decent hour,” Dean fussed rubbing his hands up and down his arms for warmth. “Let’s go get some breakfast so I can warm up.”

“Yeah, it’s like a freezer in here,” Sam agreed.

“Why don’t we check out where this Savage Skull gang hangs out and check around the school for dealers. Who knows we might catch them doing something?”

“Is that a good idea? This car’s pretty noticeable and if we want to take them by surprise might be better to not let ourselves be seen.”

“You’re probably right; we’ll see what the two Caspers can bring back and go from there.”

“I wouldn’t let them hear you calling them that. They might get offended.”

“Right. Do you think this will work? If we can get both these groups arrested and out of the neighborhoods that they will move on?”

“I have no idea, but it’s about the only option we have. The only thing I found in my research to kill them is to shoot them with glass bullets or stab with a stake made from a wild rose tree.”

“You’re kidding? Who’s ever heard of glass bullets? And where would we find a wild rose tree?”

“Let’s hope this plan works and we don’t have to find out.”

**spn**

Dean opened the door to their motel room and walked inside to suddenly stop and get bumped by Sam who didn’t notice his faltering steps. Sam automatically went for his weapon until he saw two spirits waiting for them in their room. They were sitting at the table and turned to look their way. The room was cold, and they kept their coats on as they stepped into the room.

“Damnit, it’d be nice if you gave us a little warning,” Dean complained as he got his composure and stomped on into the room tossing the motel room key on the dresser.

“We have what I think you need,” Father Nicholas said ignoring Dean’s jab.

“What did you find out?” Sam asked moving into the room and sitting on the bed to face them.

Dean grumbled under his breath and took a seat on his bed to listen to what they had to say.

“The Savage Skulls are planning to buy weapons tonight from some out of town dealer. I know the place and time and they had a meth lab outside of town in an old trailer. They are also extorting business owners for protection money. If they don’t pay, their place is trashed or worse.”

“This is good,” Sam said.

“Looks like we have a date with a weapon’s dealer tonight,” Dean added rubbing his hands together.

“I found out where the drugs are coming from and where the dealers are cutting it to make more profit,” Cooper said.

“So, if we can shut down their operations and hijack the next shipment coming in,” Dean surmised. “We’ll have to get the locals involved to make the arrests but be sure there is plenty of evidence to convict them.”

“I can show you where the drugs are being processed,” Cooper offered.

“That’s a start,” Dean agreed. “We can take it out now and deal with the other things tonight.”

“I’ll get the weapon’s bag,” Sam said.

They got up from the beds, Sam grabbing their weapon’s bag and Dean the room key. The spirits disappeared as they went out the door. Dean grunted when he saw them in the backseat of the Impala waiting on them. He didn’t say anything as they got in the car and cranked her up and turned on the heat. He pulled to the exit and looked in the rearview mirror to the spirits in the back.

“Which way?” Dean asked, waiting for directions.

“Turn left and head across town. There’s some empty buildings over there and they’re using a couple of them as a base of operations.”

“There better be a place where I can leave my Baby where she won’t be messed with.”

“We can park a couple of blocks away and hide it and walk in,” Cooper offered. “Take a left at the next light.”

“There better be,” he mumbled under his breath. He did not want to come back and find her stripped or gone. Dean followed Cooper’s directions and pulled into a gas station that was closed. Cooper disappeared from the back and after a few moments, one of the garage doors opened onto an empty bay. Dean pulled into the bay and parked as the door closed behind them.

“Will this do?” Cooper asked.

“I guess,” Dean replied. “Let’s arm up Sammy and go kick some ass.”

The brothers made sure they had extra clips for their guns along with knives hidden in their clothes. They followed Cooper and Father Nicholas down alleyways and behind buildings staying off the main road as they moved toward a building at the end of the block. Dean and Sam slunk deeper into the shadows when they saw guards in front of it.

Dean picked up a rock and tossed it out from them hitting a metal can and attracting their attention. The two guards talked between them before moving closer to the alley to look down it. They stepped into the shadowed alley and slowly made their way down with their guns drawn and ready to use. After they walked past where the brothers were hiding, they stepped behind them and knocked them out with the butts of their guns. They used zip ties to bind their hands behind their backs before tossing them into a dumpster and locking it. The guns were dropped into a barrel for now so they couldn’t be used against them.

They moved toward the door that was being guarded and motioned for Cooper to check it out before they went in. He came back out and nodded it was clear. Dean went in first panning his gun in both directions as Sam stepped in behind him. They could hear noises coming from another room and hugged the wall making their way around boxes, discarded broken furniture, and fifty-gallon metal drums.

A guard was slouched in a chair looking at a magazine and looking bored. He never sensed Dean as he moved up behind him and locked an arm around his neck, squeezing until his body went limp. Sam helped him drag the body between them back behind some crates. He was zip tied, gagged and disarmed before being stuffed in a corner and a tarp thrown over his body. They went back to the door and jerked back as Cooper stepped through it.

“There are four in there guarding the ones who are cutting and bagging the drugs,” he whispered.

“We can take one each and you two can have the other two,” Father Nicholas told them. He didn’t wait for an answer before disappearing through the door along with Cooper.

“Crap!” Dean hissed when he heard cries from inside the room. He ran through the door and saw two guys swinging guns around yelling as their colleagues were thrown back against the wall, falling unconscious to the floor. Dean tackled one guy to the floor and with a couple of hard punches knocked him out.

Sam didn’t hesitate as he rammed into the last guy, bowling him over and kicked the gun from his hand. He gathered a hand full of shirt and lifted him off the floor to punch him hard in the face, breaking his nose and splitting his lip. He flipped him over and jerked his hands behind his back and used a zip tie to secure him. He looked over at Dean to be sure he was okay and saw he had his man down too.

The young women working the tables huddled together in fright not sure what to do. They only had their bras and panties on with clear plastic aprons covering their bodies.

“It’s okay, we’re the FBI,” Sam told them, trying to assure them they were safe.

“I’ll call Detective Lee and let him know what we found,” Dean told Sam as he stepped from the room and pulled his cell from his jacket. He walked around the area checking for any other bad guys but didn’t find any. When he came back in, Sam had the girls putting on their clothes and moving them out of the room. Dean checked out a table sitting in a corner that had stacks of money rubber banded together. There was a money counting machine sitting on it and loose bills in plastic containers beside it. He glanced behind him before pocketing a stack thinking they deserved it and it would never be missed. He joined Sam and nodded they should leave.

“The police are on their way, you’re safe now. Just stay here, they will help you,” Sam told the young women before following Dean back out of the building.

“I told the detective what to expect and we wanted no credit, it was all his,” Dean told him.

“Did he accept it?”

“We’ll see. I let him know we would be contacting him again tonight if he wants to have his men ready.”

“Good, then it should be done.” Sam glanced back but didn’t see Cooper or Father Nicholas and wondered if they would be waiting for them in the car. He jogged to keep up with Dean who was walking fast to get back to the Impala and out of there before the locals got there. “Wonder where Cooper and the Father went?”

“Don’t know, but we need to make ourselves scarce, so we don’t have to answer unwanted questions.” Dean opened the side door and went around to open the garage door so he could back the Impala out.

Sam closed the door behind them and hurried to get in the car so they could leave the area. Dean drove away from the area and headed back to the motel. He could hear sirens in the distance making their way to the area they just left. He looked in the side mirror to be sure no one was following them and sighed with relief. All he could think about was they had one more bad guy to take down and he hoped this case would be over. He would much rather deal with monsters than humans any day. Monsters he knew, but humans…They could be crazy and unpredictable.

“We’ll pack and be ready to leave once we take care of this last group of scumbags,” Dean told him. “You good with that?”

“Yeah, I guess. Hopefully Cooper and the Father will see things are okay and will move on. I wonder where they are right now?”

The spirits moved silently through the abandoned buildings toward a car parked nearby waiting on the dealer who was supposed to pick up the merchandise. The dealers had no way of knowing that he had been arrested and was in the process of being charged with drug trafficking, murder of Cooper, and whatever else the locals could come up with. Detective Lee was already testing the guns found at the scene to see if they matched any unsolved murders and wondered why the FBI guys wouldn’t want to take credit for the bust.

**spn**

Two guys stepped from the car and looked around as one pulled out his cell to make a call. Their boss was still in the car watching when suddenly both men were thrown into the car with a sickening crunch. He clambered out of the back with gun drawn looking around frantically for the attackers when Cooper appeared in front of him. He shot him several times and cried out in shock when the bullets went through him not causing any damage. Before he could turn to run, Cooper grabbed him by the throat and pounded him into the side of the car. His icy cold hand cut deeply into the man’s neck sending chilling waves of pain into his body and freezing his heart.

“I want you to go back and tell your boss never to send anyone to this town with drugs again,” he growled into his ear as the man gasped and choked. “I will not let your illegal drugs be a death sentence to the people that live here. If he does not heed my warning…Tell him I will come for him next. You know it’s hard to kill someone who is already dead.” He laughed as he tossed the man to the ground watching him scramble on all fours to get away from him.

Father Nicholas had taken the bags of drugs from the car and watched the frightened man trying to get in the car and drive away. “Think he got the message?”

“He’s going back empty handed, no drugs, no money and with a story that is going to be unbelievable. I doubt he lives long enough to be of any concern.”

“How do we get rid of the drugs?”

“Let’s take them where they will never be found,” Cooper said picking up one of the bags.

The spirits disappeared in the blink of an eye, along with the drugs. Where they were going no one would be following unless they were dead, and the dead had no use for drugs.

**spn**

Night was approaching and Dean and Sam prepared for the next battle. They had packed, cleaned their weapons and replenished their supply of zip ties. Even if they were facing off with bad men, they were human and didn’t want to kill unless it was the only option. If they left enough evidence like earlier, there would be no way any of the gang would be walking away free. Once they were off the streets, the town would be a safer place to live.

Dean looked up when he felt the temperature of the room drop suddenly and saw Cooper and Father Nicholas standing in the middle of the room. They looked at the two brothers with interest as Dean put the last piece on his gun in place and slammed the clip home. He pulled the slide back, chambering a round before slipping it into the small of his back.

Sam stepped from the bathroom and startled as the coldness hit him, making him shiver for a moment. He let his eyes land on the ghosts and to his brother, feeling the tension in the room.

“Are we ready to do this?” Dean asked no one in particular as he shouldered his duffle and picked up the weapon’s bag.

“Yeah,” Sam replied grabbing his bags and following his brother to the car. As expected, the two spirits were already waiting on them in the back. He could sense the eagerness and tension coming from them, hoping it wasn’t a bad sign.

“Okay Father, it’s your turn. Where do we go?” Dean asked as he cranked the Impala, letting her roar to life under his hands.

“Some of the gang members are meeting the seller in an abandoned building about twenty minutes from here. Take a right at the exit and head out of town. I will tell you where to turn my son.”

Dean stiffened when he called him _his son_ but didn’t say anything. He followed the priest’s directions and drove through the emptying streets away from the congestion of the business part of town. He pulled his jacket tighter around his body from the chill the two spirits were emitting in the tight space of the Impala. He had the heat going to keep the windows clear and one cracked to allow fresh air inside.

“Is there a safe place for my Baby?” Dean asked breaking the silence in the car.

“It can be left behind a building and we can walk the last block to the warehouse,” Father Nicholas said.

“Good. Are we almost there?”

“A few more miles.”

Dean huffed and pinched his lips together into a thin line and concentrated on the road ahead of him. Most of the area was in the dark except for a few streetlights here and there to cast a dim, pale glow out onto the road. He pulled into a parking lot and followed it around the side of an empty building and parked in the dark, small lot behind it. Dean shut the engine down before turning to his brother to talk to him.

“Be careful, they play for keeps,” Dean told him in a serious tone.

Sam stilled for a moment and looked at his brother’s shadowed face, “I will, you too.”

They got out and armed themselves only with what they needed that would hurt or kill humans. Both knew they didn’t need to burden themselves with supernatural items so they could move quickly and quietly. The spirits had disappeared from the car without a word.

Dean took the lead and headed along the back of the building, staying well in the shadows as he moved closer to their target. He passed behind several more buildings until stopping and peeking out around the corner to a warehouse. It was dark and deeply shadowed but as he let his eyes roam back and forth, he picked up movement deep into the shadows at the side of the building.

“Side of building,” Dean mumbled to Sam before fading into the darkness and letting Sam take his place.

Sam watched from his hiding place and squinted when he could barely make out a shape moving toward a darker shadow. He could just make out a struggle for a moment and then nothing. A soft whistle let him know his brother had taken care of the guard. Sam moved quickly to join his brother and they went to the door on the side of the warehouse.

Dim light shown toward the middle of the large room as the brothers worked their way around the stacked boxes and barrels toward it. Sam clamped his large hand over the mouth of a gang member to silence him as he choked him unconscious. He bound his hands behind his back and gagged him before looping a tie to a pipe and around his ankles. He looked up as Dean drug another gang member deeper into the shadows and did the same. They proceeded closer to the light and saw gang members standing around their leader and a couple of other men showing off crates of guns.

The brothers froze when suddenly gang members went flying backwards leaving their leader standing alone. The gun sellers pulled guns and looked around for the attackers as they backed away. They each took one and disarmed them and with some well-placed punches had them on the floor knocked out.

The leader of the gang pulled a gun and fired at Sam and Dean. Sam felt an invisible push as fire erupted in his arm before he stumbled backwards. Dean was thrown to the floor but felt the bullet whiz by his head as he whooshed out the air in his lungs. He was stunned for a moment but was up with gun drawn ready to fire back when the leader of the gang arched his back and tried to cry out but couldn’t.

Sammy,” Dean grunted as he wobbled to his feet.

“I’m fine,” Sam hissed clamping a hand over his arm that was still holding his gun. Blood ran between his fingers, but he could tell it wasn’t serious and looked toward where the leader was shaking and trying to speak.

“Let me see,” Dean insisted knowing that tone and knew Sam was playing down his injury. He jerked a bandana out and tied it around his arm to help stop the bleeding. “What’s happening to him?” he asked.

“I think he’s being possessed,” Sam said in wonder as he continued to study the leader.

Dean looked around at the others as a couple moaned and tried to get up. He shook off his dizziness and moved to the guys using his gun butt to knock them back out. He looked around and saw what looked like a walk-in freezer sitting in a corner.

“Sammy, help me get these guys in there,” Dean ordered as he grabbed the legs of one of the downed guys and drug him to the door. He opened it up and saw it would suit their needs. They tossed the gang members and gun dealers into the freezer and locked the door.

“There are still others at the house,” Father Nicholas said in the leader’s voice. He pulled out a cell and sent a text to one of the members he needed help to bring everyone to the meet.

“Good idea Father. Are you okay?” Sam asked.

“He is the one who shot me.”

“We need to be ready for the others,” Dean told Sam as they moved to the door they would be coming through.

“I will let you know when they get here,” Cooper offered before disappearing.

“How’s the arm?”

“It’s fine, just a scratch. You?”

“I felt the bullet just miss my head,” Dean replied. “I don’t know who knocked me down, but they saved my life.”

“We’ll have to thank them when this is over. If I wasn’t pushed aside, I would have been shot in the chest.”

“Too bad we couldn’t have a little extra help like this on other cases.”

“They’re almost here,” Cooper said as he appeared behind them making both brothers jump and draw down on him. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s fine,” Dean grumbled thinking a bell around his neck would be a good idea. He turned back to the door and motioned Sam to the other side of the door while Father Nicholas moved the leader to stand in the middle of room to wait on the other gang members.

They didn’t have long to wait as lights from cars shone in the door. Dean and Sam could hear car doors slamming and guns being cocked before members stepped into the room. They looked around but didn’t notice Dean and Sam hiding behind crates and boxes and stopped waiting for their leader to speak.

“Put your guns down,” Father Nicholas told them in a loud, stern voice.

The gang members looked at each other confused by his words and not sure what to do. They mumbled among themselves for a moment until a voice boomed behind them.

“I’d do as he says,” Dean ordered waving his gun at the gang members to drop their weapons.

Several quickly pointed their guns at Dean until Sam stepped out and cleared his throat to show Dean wasn’t alone. He motioned with his gun for them to drop their weapons. He fired once when one of the gang members decided to take his chances and hit him in the shoulder knocking him to the ground.

When the other members saw they meant business, they dropped their weapons and put up their hands. The possessed gang leader lead them to the freezer and unlocked the door ushering them inside. It was a tight fit, but the last one was shoved in and the door was locked behind them.

“Too bad it’s not working, we could cool them off,” Dean surmised.

“Now, one more thing,” Father Nicholas said as he pulled out the cell again. He stood in the light and hit record and began to make a confession of the crimes he had done. He told about shooting Father Nicholas to get him out of the way so they could recruit the young kids in the community. He confessed to the meth labs that were running in the town, about extorting money from business owners for protection and anything else Father Nicolas found in the leader’s mind. Once he was finished, Father Nicholas pulled out of the leader, letting him fall onto his hands and knees gasping for air. He gripped the leader’s head between his hands and pressed hard making him scream out in agony for several moments before he let go and stepped away. The leader collapsed to the floor and twitched and jerked as his eyes rolled upward and his face when slack and he started to drool. Father Nicholas taped the cell to the leader’s chest and stood up. “He won’t be bothering or hurting anyone again.”

Dean and Sam looked at each other but didn’t speak about what he did.

“I’ll call Lee and let him know he can come and clean up the trash,” Dean told them.

“Thank you for what you did for me and my brother,” Sam said. “Well, so, now that things have been taken care of,” Sam started. “Will you two be able to move on?” He looked at the two spirits as they stood side by side looking at Sam.

“The locals will be here shortly,” Dean told them. “We better get out of here ‘fore they get here.”

“Thank you for helping us and helping our community and the people that live there. We will move on, but we will be watching over our flock,” Father Nicholas told them.

“You have made a difference and thank you too,” Cooper told them.

The spirits stepped back and they began to glow brighter and brighter, making the brothers cover their eyes and when they looked back, they were gone. Dean and Sam wiped their eyes and waited for a moment for the spots to disappear before stepping from the building and heading back to the Impala.

Dean pulled out and headed away from the town toward Sioux Falls. He made Sam let him look at his arm when they stopped for gas. The bullet had grazed his bicep, leaving a raw gash that he wrapped for now. He was going to stop in a few hours and get a motel room so they could rest, and he could doctor Sam’s arm better. He looked over at Sam who was scribbling in his journal by the light of a small flashlight and wondered what he was writing. He would never ask because that was a private thing for both of them. He turned back to the road and turned on the radio to find a station to his liking and settled back as the car sped down the interstate.

**The End**

**=================================**

**A/N: Thank you for reading and comments would be great. NC**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This letter is only one part and so are the next five. I hope you enjoy the hunt and will stay with me for the upcoming letters. Comments would be great. NC**

* * *

**G**

Sam wiped the sleep from his eyes as he made his way through the bunker to the kitchen to find Dean sitting at the table on his laptop.

“Did you sleep any?” Sam asked going to the coffee pot and pouring a cup. He found creamer in the fridge, noticing they were getting low on supplies.

“Found us a possible case,” Dean answered ignoring the question. “It’s not too far away and sounds simple.”

“Don’t you want to rest for another day? We just wrapped up that case in Memphis and drove back without stopping. Aren’t you tired?” Sam asked, really wanting to have another day to rest before jumping back into another hunt.

“No use sitting around doing nothing. We have no leads on Amara; no leads on a weapon to take her out and no leads on Lucifer. What else are we supposed to do? Might as well hunt while we can.”

Sam sipped on his coffee and heard the frustration in his brother’s voice because they had come up empty on all accounts so far. He knew Dean was right, there were still monsters out there and people that needed saving they could help. “Can I at least get a shower and change?”

“Yeah, but don’t take all morning,” Dean called after Sam as he walked away. He closed the laptop and sighed as he got up to head to his room to pack and then wait on his brother. He still didn’t understand what took him so long in the bathroom and figured that would remain a mystery. He looked up forty minutes later as Sam strolled into the map room, his hair damp from the shower and carrying his duffle.

“Where are we heading this time?” Sam asked as he followed his brother to the garage.

“Stillwater, Oklahoma.”

“And what is this possible case you found?”

“Some teenagers went missing and the locals aren’t finding any evidence of what happened to them,” Dean replied dropping into the driver’s seat of the Impala. He waited for Sam to settle and started up his Baby listening to her roar to life under his experience fingers. He ran a hand over the wheel and mumbled lovingly to her before pulling from the garage and heading out to pick up the main road to head south to Stillwater.

“Remember when cases were simple monsters like a ghost or vampire or werewolf?” Sam sighed. “Now we have angels, demons, Lucifer, God, and God’s sister, thrown in the mix.”

“Yeah, it seems we get rid of one monster and another bigger and badder shows up that we have to deal with.”

“Guess our first stop will be the local police station and see what they’ve got so far. For once we won’t have to go to the morgue if there’s been no bodies found yet? You don’t think it’s some prank and the teenagers are hiding out somewhere?” Sam questioned.

“Don’t know, I mean this is October and you know how people get and crap that gets started this time of year.”

“Yeah, people wanna talk to the dead, try to find ghosts, play in graveyards, do stupid things and mess with stuff they know nothing about. Maybe it’ll be a quick salt and burn and we can take a break for a couple of days to rest and recharge.”

“Nothing’s ever that easy, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“I know.” Sam wiggled around in the passenger seat trying to get comfortable and stared out the side window trying to let his mind calm and not think about what they were up against. He had only wanted to save his brother but unleashed a being like none they had faced before. Amara was God’s sister and she was not happy to have been caged for all these eons and he didn’t know if they stood a chance in hell of stopping her.

**spn**

It was midafternoon when they pulled into the small town of Stillwater. They stopped at a gas station to change into suits so they could pose as FBI and visit the local police station. Once they were ready, Dean got directions from the cashier and headed across town to a brick building and found the visitor parking.

Dean adjusted his jacket and tie after getting out of the car and took the lead heading for the front doors. He expected it would be like most other small town police departments that they had visited over the years and wasn’t disappointed. An officer sat behind a counter talking on the phone as they stepped through the doors into a foyer that was blocked off from the rest of the place. He could see through an open door, desks and officers walking around or working.

“May I help you?” the officer asked after hanging up the phone.

“We’re FBI, Agent Shaw and Wilson. We’d like to talk to whoever is in charge of the missing teenagers’ case,” Dean stated as he flipped his badge out for him to see.

The officer eyed both badges and lifted the receiver and punched a button. He spoke quietly into it and then hung up. “Someone will be out shortly. You can have a seat in those chairs over there.”

“Thank you,” Sam nodded as they moved to sit in plastic chairs against the wall. He let his eyes roam over the bulletin boards and the case with the wanted posters happy to see their faces were not among the ones hanging there anymore. It seemed like a lifetime ago when they were being hunted and pursued by real FBI agents. Those were some scary times.

The wait wasn’t long as a middle-aged man in uniform stepped through the doorway and looked in their direction. He studied them for a moment before walking over and stopping at the chairs.

“I’m Sheriff Earp, how can I help you?” he asked holding out his hand to shake theirs.

“Hello Sheriff, I’m Agent Shaw and this is my partner Agent Wilson. We were sent down to lend a hand on your missing teenagers’ case.”

“Why don’t you step into my office where we can talk,” he replied leading them into the squad room and to the back to a small office. “I don’t recall requesting any help from the FBI.”

“We don’t question the orders we’re given sir. Our boss wanted us to come check it out and be sure it’s not linked to any of the other cases we’re working,” Sam offered hoping that would ease the sheriff’s mind.

“Don’t know what I can tell you other than the fact I’ve got four missing teenagers and not a clue what happened to them,” he said.

“Where were they last seen?” Dean asked.

“At the local hangout in town, Harry’s. It’s a diner on one side and ice cream shop on the other side. Most kids go there to socialize. I did get a little more out of a couple of their friends. Seems they were going to check out an abandoned house out near the old cemetery on the outskirts of town. It’s the old Tanner place. Been empty for years now since no one wants to live that close to a cemetery. The bank owns it now and is trying to sell it. They were supposedly looking for a place for a Halloween party.”

“And no one saw them after that?” Sam asked.

“Not that I was told, but no one’s talking since they don’t want to get them in trouble.”

“And you checked this abandoned house out?”

“Yes, there was no sign of the kids and the caretakers said he didn’t see anyone around there the day they went missing. He was gone for a few hours to get some supplies so he could have missed them.”

“Could we get a copy of your reports so we can go over them?”

“Sure, but it’s not much. If you wait here, I’ll copy them. We’ve sent out notices to all the surrounding counties to be on the lookout for them or if they find any unidentified bodies that might match their descriptions.”

“Good to know,” Dean nodded. “We’ll get a motel room and see what we can dig up,” he mumbled to Sam when the sheriff stepped out.

“Since we haven’t had lunch, we could go check out Harry’s and see if any of the locals will talk to us,” Sam suggested.

“Good idea. Should we go in as FBI or maybe undercover as distant relatives to one of the missing kids?”

“They’d probably be more likely to talk to a relative before the FBI. So, I guess motel first to change and then Harry’s.”

“Like I said it isn’t much,” Sheriff Earp repeated handing Sam a file with the missing persons reports and interviews from family and friends. “You’ll keep me posted if you find any new leads?”

“Yes, we’ll let you know,” Dean told him. “Where’s a decent motel around here?” he asked as they stood to leave.

“There’s a Sleep Inn out near the road into town. It’s clean and reasonably priced.”

“Thanks Sheriff.”

The brothers left the station and headed back out of town to find the motel and get a room for a few days. Sam went in and registered and paid for the room. He came out and motioned Dean to follow him around the office to the rows of rooms and to one on the end out of the main flow of things. He opened the door and waited as Dean grabbed their bags and strolled in putting his bag on the bed nearest the door.

“Let’s change and check out Harry’s,” he told Sam as he dug out his clothes. “If there’s time, we’ll find this abandoned house and see if there’s anything there.”

“Okay, I’m going to scan these reports, you can have the bathroom first.”

Sam sat down at the table and quickly looked over the reports of the four missing teens looking for anything out of place or off. They all went to the same high school and were in the same grade. They seemed like good kids with no police record or trouble with the cops. He looked at the names of the friends that were interviewed committing them to memory so they could talk to them and maybe get some more information from them than the sheriff did.

“Your turn,” Dean told him stepping from the bathroom. He had his suit on a hanger and found his suit bag to put it in to keep it clean until he needed it again.

Sam slid the papers away and got up to find clothes before stepping into the bathroom to change. He looked at the reflection in the mirror and saw a weariness in his eyes that he couldn’t hide. Sam looked away and turned on the cold water to wash his face and dry it. He stripped out of his suit and put on jeans, tee shirt, and button up shirt before gathering his pants, shirt, and jacket to hang them up. He folded the tie and put it in his jacket pocket before stepping into the other room.

Dean was waiting and slipped into his jacket while Sam found his and followed him to the Impala. They headed back to the main road and to Harry’s. Since it was between lunch and dinner, the parking lot was not crowded, and they had their choice of spaces. Dean parked where he thought his Baby would be okay and got out heading for the front door of the diner. When they went in, they looked both ways seeing one led to a diner and the other to an ice cream shop. They went left into the diner and up to the counter to order.

“Good afternoon gentlemen. What can I get for your pleasure today?” a bubbly young woman asked when Dean motioned to her they were ready.

“I’ll have the barbecue platter with fries,” Dean said.

“And for you sir?”

“I’ll have the broasted chicken plate with green beans and small salad, ranch dressing,” Sam told her.

“And a name for the ticket?”

“Sam.”

“Here’s your drink cups. We’ll call your name when it’s ready,” she said.

Dean went to the self-serve station for soda, trying to decide what he wanted. There were containers of sweet and unsweet tea sitting beside the station, if he wanted that instead. He filled his cup with ice and choose sweet tea with lemon. Sam chose unsweet tea with lemon and joined him at the table to wait for their order. They sipped on their drinks and Sam got up when his name was called to get the tray loaded with food. He carefully sat it on the table and unloaded the tray before sitting it aside.

“Looks good,” Dean commented checking the bottles of barbecue sauce for the kind he liked before squirting it onto his barbecue.

“This is so, tender,” Sam said. He pulled off another bite of chicken marveling at the rich, savory taste and sighed happily. Sometimes it was hard to eat healthy when Dean picked the places they ate at.

“I figure high school kids should be showing up soon and we can see who knew the missing ones. Maybe they didn’t tell the sheriff everything they knew.”

“You’re probably right, but you can’t intimidate them,” Sam cautioned him knowing sometimes Dean could go a little overboard with his questioning if the person did cooperate.

They finished their meal and while Dean had a piece of pie and coffee for dessert, Sam watched the people coming and going and paid attention when high school kids started coming in. He motioned to Dean who was finishing the last bite of pie and looked in the direction Sam was nodding. He wiped his mouth and dropped the napkin onto the plate before getting up. He had already paid, and they were only waiting for high schoolers to show up.

“Hey guys, can we talk to you?” Dean asked as they stopped at a table with five high schoolers sitting around it.

“Why should we?” one asked eyeing Dean and Sam.

“We’re trying to help find the students that disappeared,” Sam told them.

The group looked at each other for a moment before another asked. “What do you want to know?”

“Did you guys know the four who went missing?” Dean asked. He pulled a chair from another table over while Sam took the other chair for the table.

“Yeah, we were all friends,” one said sadly.

“The sheriff mentioned that they went to an abandoned house on the outskirts of town; is that true?” Sam questioned. “The Tanner place?”

“Yes, we were looking for a place to have a wild Halloween party that would be spooky and scary. We were going to set it up like haunted house.”

“Are there any stories about the place being haunted?”

“There’s always been rumors going around, but most of us have been there and it’s just creepy and rundown now.”

“Did they do something else while they were there?” Dean asked when he saw a couple of the kids look at each other with guilt plastered on their faces. He knew they were holding something back.

“If you want us to help your friends you need to be honest with us,” Sam said.

“Sophie had this book and they were going to try and do a séance,” one finally admitted. “They were going to practice so we could do it at the party.”

“What was this book she had?”

“I didn’t really get to see it. She said she found it in a used bookstore, and it had spells and weird stuff in it.”

“When are you kids ever going to learn to not to fool around with things you know nothing about? You don’t know what might happen messing with that crap,” Dean growled at them.

“Can you tell us where this house is?” Sam asked quickly when he saw the scared looks on their faces.

“It’s on the outskirts of town beside the old town graveyard. You take Main Street to Willow Branch Road, turn left and go like four miles, turn right onto Sleepy Hollow Road and you’ll see a sign for the cemetery and the house is below it.”

“Thanks for your help,” Sam nodded getting up and pulling Dean with him.

“You’ll find them, won’t you?” a girl asked.

“We’ll try,” Sam told her.

**spn**

“That’s just great, if they did contact a spirit there’s no telling what they could have unleashed,” Dean ranted once they were in the car.

“I know, but you don’t need to scare them.”

“They need to be scared.”

“Let’s go find this house and check it out. If they were able to summon a spirit maybe there’s something there the locals missed that will tell us who it was.”

“I hope so, we can’t dig up the whole graveyard to burn and salt the bones.”

“I checked the property out and didn’t find any murders or deaths linked to the house or anything that would point to supernatural.”

“Maybe that’s a point in our favor.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Dean followed the directions through town and found the road the cemetery was on. He saw the house on past the rock wall surrounding the cemetery and found a driveway that led to it. The yard was overgrown with weeds, vines, grass and littered with leaves from the surrounding trees. The house was a one story, clapboard with a large front porch.

Dean parked the Impala and got out giving the area a once over. He looked toward the rock wall that bordered the property and could see the headstones and markers since the house was elevated on a small hill. He noticed there were family mausoleums scattered throughout the property; those he could see seemed old and eerie.

Sam moved to look at the house that had seen better days. Paint was peeling from the sides, shutters hung from one hinge off the windows that had shutters. There were panes of glass that had been broken out and replaced with wood. Leaves and dirt had blown onto the porch and was scattered in piles in corners and at the door. He pulled out the EMF monitor and turned it on, watching the readings and looked at the power lines that ran to the house.

“This is no good. There still must be some trickle of power messing with the readings.”

“Let’s check out the inside first and then we’ll go look in the graveyard.”

Dean headed for the steps and stumbled from the uneven pavers covered in leaves. He swore under his breath and moved cautiously to the steps.

“Make sure they’re not rotten,” Sam warned him as Dean stepped onto the first wooden step.

“Right,” he replied. Dean moved closer to the end of the steps and carefully put his full weight on them taking them slowly. Once he was on the porch, he went to a dirty window and wiped away the coating to look in. “How do you suppose the kids got in?” he asked eyeing the locked door and the extra bar that was locked across it.

“Maybe the backdoor?” Sam asked. He walked to the end of the porch and stepped down to search for the backdoor.

“Yell if you find anything. I’m going to try these windows,” Dean called to him. He pulled out a knife and went to one of the windows to try and jimmy the lock open. He heard a click and tried pushing up on the outside, but the window wouldn’t give. There was still something stopping it from opening. He grumbled to himself and looked the way Sam had gone when he heard him yell. Dean headed down the steps and around the side of the house to see what he had found.

“I was able to get the side window opened and get in. I opened the backdoor.”

“Alright then, let’s check this place out,” Dean said. He followed Sam to the backdoor that led into a laundry room and then the kitchen. He pulled out a flashlight and shone it around since the lighting was dim. He moved deeper into the house and found a large room he thought was a family or living room. He played the light around the room and Sam moved down a hall to check out the bedrooms. As the light roamed around into the corners of the room, Dean looked for something out of place but didn’t see anything that even noted the missing teenagers were here. All he saw was what seemed like the floor was cleaner in one spot than the rest of the room like it had been swept.

“Didn’t see anything back there,” Sam told him shining his light into Dean’s eyes.

“Dude!” Dean complained shielding his eyes.

“Sorry,” Sam shrugged.

“Nothing here either, but it does like someone cleaned an area here on the floor,” Dean pointed with his light.

“It’s rundown and dirty, but I don’t really see anything here,” he huffed looking around before suddenly sneezing. And before he could do or say anything he sneezed again. “I need…I need…To get out….” he sneezed and headed for the kitchen.

“Wuss,” Dean called to him thinking there was nothing here to find. He headed out to find Sam standing outside breathing in some clean air and clearing his throat, spitting to the side.

“What’s with you?”

“Dust in the nose,” Sam coughed.

“You’re not going to pass out on me, are you?”

“No! I’m fine.”

“Okay then, while we’re here, let’s check out the cemetery.”

Dean headed for the rock wall and hoisted himself over it to land softly on the other side. He stepped back as Sam clambered over to join him. They walked between the headstones and looked around for a moment before wandering deeper. They both startled when an older male voice yelled at them.

“What are you two doing in here?”

They turned and saw an older man striding toward them. He was dressed in work clothes and carrying a sling blade over his shoulder. There was an angry, sour look on his face as he eyed them.

“Hello,” Dean said. “We’re looking into the disappearance of four teenagers from around here. Have you seen or heard anything recently?”

“Those teenagers are a menace. They come in here leaving trash, partying, and defacing the tome stones,” he spat.

“What do you do here?” Sam asked.

“I’m the caretaker for the cemetery. I take care of the graves,” he told them. “Very few people come here anymore. They are either cremated or use the other cemetery that they opened a few years ago.”

“Is it okay if we look around. We won’t bother anything,” Sam assured him.

“I guess, can’t really stop you,” he grumbled turning to head back the way he came.

“That was weird,” Dean mumbled watching the caretaker move away.

“Yeah, I agree,” Sam mumbled. He turned and wandered around looking at the headstones noticing how old some of the were.

Dean didn’t move until the caretaker was out of sight and went to join his brother. They worked their way toward the front gate looking for any signs. Sam slowed and walked toward some small tome stones when he noticed something sticking up out of the grass. He reached down and pulled a piece of scrap paper from the grass and looked at it.

“What’d you find?” Dean asked.

“It looks like a list of some kind list,” Sam mumbled flattening it out and holding it to the last light of the day.

“Could it be the teenagers?”

“Maybe.”

Dean looked around to see if he could see anything else that might give them a clue about the teenagers. “You see anything else?”

“No and we’re losing light.”

“Why don’t we go grab something to eat and come back tonight to check this place out?”

“Fine with me.” Sam gave the place one more look before turning and following his brother toward the gate. They walked down the road to the driveway of the house and up it to the Impala. Sam looked out across the cemetery and saw the caretaker watching them leave. He got a creepy feeling about the guy but couldn’t put his finger on why. He dropped into the passenger seat and closed the door as Dean cranked the car. Dean pulled around and drove down the driveway and back toward town.

**spn**

The sun had sunk behind the horizon and darkness had covered the land as the brothers made their way back to the cemetery to check it out. They stopped at the gate and saw it was locked, but that never stopped them before. Dean got out and went around to the trunk of the car so they could arm themselves before climbing over the wall and into the cemetery.

They had a full moon that cast an eerie glow on the surroundings around them. Dean got his bearings before heading off toward where some of the older and larger mausoleums were at the back of the property. They walked around a path that circled the area.

“Did you hear that?” Sam asked as a noise out of place drifted to him on a breeze blowing through the cemetery.

“What?” Dean asked stopping and cocking his head as he let his senses one to his surroundings. It wasn’t but a moment before he caught a whimper just barely auditable to the human ear.

“This way,” Sam whispered as he hurried along the path to the back corner of the property.

A sliver of light could be seen around the door of the mausoleum that stood there. Sam stopped and pulled out a gun as he waited for Dean to do the same. The door opened slowly and squeaked when Sam gently pushed it wide enough so they could get in. They paused just inside the door, waiting to see if anyone was alerted. Frightened, muffled cries suddenly echoed from deeper in the interior. This prompted the brothers to move down the steps and to the archway that led to the main room with burial sites lining both sides of the walls.

Sam did a quick look around the corner and saw three teenagers tied and gagged in the corner. They were struggling and crying out against their gags and he saw the reason why. The last teenager’s body was stretched out on top of a crypt and blood was being collected in buckets from his slashed arms. The caretaker was standing beside the body and sliced off a piece of flesh from his upper arm and began to eat it.

Sam went in first targeting the man before he shouted, “Don’t move!”

“You! Hunters!” he sneered in disgust, blood dripping from his mouth and down his chin.

“Get away from him,” Sam ordered as he stepped closer. “You’re no ghost, that’s for sure. I’m thinking a ghoul.”

“Got me,” he laughed hauntingly holding out his arms. “You’re not as good as you think.”

Before Dean could turn, something slammed into him knocking him to the ground and stunning him for a moment. With Sam’s attention on his brother, the caretaker launched himself at Sam making him stumble backwards and slam into the wall hard. He lost his grip on his gun that clattered to the ground at his feet. Sam started throwing punches trying to get space between him and the ghoul. He couldn’t see Dean who was still on the ground on the other side of the crypt. The ghoul grabbed his arm as he threw a punch and tossed him across the room toward the teenagers who were wriggling and crying out in panic.

Before Dean could get turned around, a solid form plowed into him knocking him off balance and back down. He acted on instinct and bent his legs to kick out as hard as he could, catching the second ghoul in the stomach and propelling him away. He rolled to his stomach and crawled toward where his gun had fallen. His fingers had just brushed the butt of it, and they grasped it as he was suddenly pulled backwards by a leg. He rolled back over and kicked with the other leg catching the ghoul in the face but didn’t dislodge him. He was younger than the caretaker and stronger. Dean cried out in pain as a knife was stabbed into this thigh, thankfully missing the bone and artery.

Rage built up in him as he let the pain fuel him and he roared in anger bringing up the gun and shooting the ghoul in the face twice. When the pressure eased on his lower leg, he struggled to his feet to see his brother being straddled by the caretaker. It was all Sam could do to keep him from taking a bite out of his neck.

Sam looked up into the frightened faces of the teenagers and knew he had to save them. He pushed himself up and yelled out in anger as he rammed the ghoul in the stomach knocking him away. Sam looked frantically around for his gun and finally saw it against the wall. He made for it only to be tackled again by the ghoul caretaker. The ghoul dug his fingers into Sam’s clothes and pulled himself up his body as Sam fought to throw him off.

Sam cussed profusely as he struggled to hold the ghoul off. He could feel the fetal breath on his face when the ghoul gnashed his teeth together trying hard to bite him. Sam could feel his arms weakening and his elbows began to bend letting the ghoul’s mouth draw closer. Before Sam’s arms gave out, a shot ran out and blood splattered over his face and the ghoul went limp in his arms. He threw the body aside in disgust and groaned in pain from being tossed around.

“Sammy?” Dean called out limping his way. “You okay?”

“What happened?” Sam asked when he saw the Dean had his hand pressed to his leg and he was limping.

“It’s nothing,” Dean grimaced pressing a hand to the wound. Blood dripped from between his fingers until Sam smacked it away and tied a bandana around it as he tsked at Dean.

“We need to get these kids out of here,” Dean said. He let Sam doctor his leg before turning to the hostages and pulled out a knife to cut their bonds. They were crying and thankful of the rescue. The girl broke down when she looked at the body of her friend lying dead on the crypt.

“I’ll call Sheriff Earp and get an ambulance out here,” Sam said pulling out his cell.

“Okay gang listen up,” Dean stated firmly to get their attention. He gave them a serious expression before continuing. “You were kidnapped by these two and held hostage here. Your friend was killed first and you didn’t see anything else. I wouldn’t say anything about what you really saw, got it?”

They looked up at him with fearful eyes as they clung to each other, trembling uncontrollably.

“The sheriff will be here shortly,” Sam told them. “C’mon guys let’s get out of here,” he offered trying to help them up and steer the kids to the door. “Can you make it Dean?”

“Yeah, I’m right behind you,” he grunted as he used the wall for support to make his way to the steps. He grimaced, taking one step at a time and stepped through the door into the cool night air. He drew in a breath of clean air and sighed pushing the pain down not wanting to show it in front of Sam.

**spn**

“The ambulance is here. They can look at your leg,” Sam told him as he used his flashlight to signal where they were at.

“I’m fine. I’ll take care of it when we get back to the motel,” Dean said.

“No, you won’t. They have what we need. I’ll get it from them. Over here!” Sam called to the EMTs.

“What have we got?” one asked looking at the three teenagers huddled together.

“They need taken care of and I need some supplies to take care of my brother’s leg,” Sam told them.

“What?” the other EMT asked giving Sam a puzzled look.

“I know what I need,” Sam insisted. He investigated the open bag and took out several items before going to Dean and helping him stand. “The sheriff has been called and he will take over.”

Sam helped his brother to the Impala and got him settled in the passenger seat before going around to the driver’s side to get in. He drove them back to the motel and got Dean inside depositing him on his bed.

“Get your pants off and I’ll stitch that up for you,” Sam told him going to the bathroom to wash his hands and get some towels.

Dean growled some unintelligent words as he worked his jacket off and dropped it to the floor. He unlaced his boots and almost fell off the bed getting them off. He fell back on the bed and undid his jeans and lay there panting as the room began to spin.

Sam came out of the bathroom and looked at Dean seeing the sweat popping out on his face and how pale he looked. He laid the towels by him and reached down to wiggle the jeans down and grabbed the bottoms to pull them the rest of the way off. He put a towel under his leg and cleaned the wound before stitching it up to stop the bleeding. Once he was done and got pain pills in him, Sam let Dean go to sleep. He covered him and wiped his face before cleaning up and decided to take a shower to wash the blood off him. He figured they would head out in the morning and go back to the bunker. While Dean healed, they would check to see if there was any information on Amara or Lucifer and if not, well there were other monsters out there that needed stopped, the family business.

**The End**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: On to letter H and I. It worked out that I could combine the two letters in this story. This one is more of a rescue than a hunt. I hope you are enjoying the one shots and the creatures I have found. Thank you for reading. Comments are great. NC**

* * *

**H and I**

The black Impala sped down the highway as the sun was setting in the west. Darkness would soon spread over the land plunging it into a sea of ebony. The driver glanced over at his sleeping brother who was leaning against the side window with his mouth hanging slightly open and snoring softly. They had finished a hunt and got word from their surrogate father, Bobby Singer, he needed help with a case. Without hesitation, they packed and headed for Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The traffic had been moving at a steady speed, but it looked like they were heading into a storm as Dean watched lightening flash across the sky ahead of them. He had hoped to avoid the storm, but it had changed direction and was in their path. He gripped the steering wheel tighter as the first huge drops of rain began to hit the windshield with loud smacking sounds.

Sam stirred in the seat beside his brother and wiped his eyes as he looked around trying to remember where he was. He jumped as a loud crack of thunder echoed around them and a crooked streak of lightening brightened the black sky ahead of them. He blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the spots from his vision.

“That was close,” Sam commented as he straightened in the seat.

“I was hoping we wouldn’t run into the worst of it, but luck isn’t on our side as always,” Dean grumbled. He slowed with the traffic and saw the black, swirling, mass of clouds ahead of him.

“Should we stop?” Sam asked not liking the looks of what was ahead of them.

Dean didn’t say anything as he pinched his lips together into a thin line and watched the vehicles around him. He saw a sign for a rest area ahead and signaled to take the exit. He decided it would be better to wait the storm out there than out on the highway where accidents could happen. There were other cars doing the same thing and Dean steered around the road to a parking spot in front of the building. He breathed a sigh of relief as he shut off the engine. The rain came harder and pounded on the top of the Impala, sounding like rocks being thrown at it. It was so hard the dark world around them disappeared.

“Damn! It’s coming down now,” Dean said.

“You can’t see anything out there,” Sam mumbled wiping the mist that covered the side window so he could look out. He watched more cars coming in, their lights barely piercing the storm raging around them. “How long you think it’ll last?”

“No telling,” Dean grunted. “Some of these blow right through and others hang around for a while. If it lets up any, I’ll head back out. Why don’t you call Bobby and let him know we’re running late because of the storm?”

“Alright,” Sam nodded digging around in his jacket pocket for his cell. He pulled up his contacts and found the name. Sam listened to a phone ring at the other end and waited for it to be answered.

_“Hello,”_ a gruff male voice answered.

“Hey Bobby, it’s Sam,” Sam greeted him warmly.

_“Sam!”_ Bobby replied his voice going soft. _“Are you and your brother okay?”_

“Yeah, we’re caught in a huge storm and had to pull off at a rest area. Just wanted you to know we’ll be late getting there.”

_“Alright, you tell yer brother to be careful out there. I know how heavy his foot can be.”_

“I will Bobby, bye,” Sam said. “He says for you to be careful driving.”

“He knows I’ll take care of my Baby,” Dean surmised. “No! No! Not hail too!” he cried out as small pieces of frozen rain clanked on the windshield and bounced off. It sounded like someone was throwing small pebbles at the Impala now. “There better not be any dings.”

“Boy, what did you do to piss Mother Nature off this time?” Sam teased as his tried to hold in the laughter. He dodged a smack from Dean and snickered to himself as he listened to his brother say a few choice words to him.

The hail didn’t last long and wasn’t large enough to cause any damage much to Dean’s relief. They had to sit there another twenty minutes before the rain slacked enough that they could get back on the road. Dean took it slow since the roads were standing with water and he didn’t want to hydroplane. Sam sat stiffly in the passenger seat feeling the car slip every now and then under his brother’s experienced hands. He didn’t relax until they were an hour away and out of the area of the heavy rain.

“We should have an easy ride the rest of the way to Bobby’s,” Dean told him watching his brother’s rigid body finally relax. “You can relax now Sammy.”

“I’m fine,” Sam insisted, embarrassed at Dean seeing his unease. He was usually able to hide it better, but Dean could read him like a book. It had been like that their whole lives and he didn’t think it would ever change. At least he hoped it wouldn’t. They had their differences and fought like brothers did, but he knew Dean would protect him because it was ingrained in him by their father since Sam was brought home from the hospital.

“I’ll have to stop for gas in a couple of hours. Are you good until then?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Alright then.” Dean turned all his attention on the road for now keeping the Impala between the lines. He found a group of fast-moving cars and fell in with them keeping pace.

**spn**

The salvage yard loomed ahead of them; the sign lit by an outside light. Dean slowed down and let the Impala roll through the gate and tapped the gas to push the car forward toward the front of the house. He parked and killed the engine but sat there trying to let his body stop driving.

Sam opened his door and got out but turned when he didn’t hear Dean’s door open. He leaned down and looked back inside to see Dean sitting there staring through the windshield.

“Hey, you alright?” Sam asked. His brow wrinkled when his brother didn’t answer at first. “Bro, Dean?”

“Yeah,” Dean finally replied. He shook his body slightly and opened the door to get out. Dean ignored Sam’s worried gaze and stepped to the trunk to get his bags when Dean opened it.

They headed up the steps and Dean knocked loudly and stepped back waiting for Bobby to answer. Movement could be heard on the other side of the door and locks were disengaged before the door was opened.

“Boys, good to see you,” Bobby greeted them, a warmth in his voice.

“Hey Bobby,” they said together.

“Get on in here, there’s coffee in the kitchen and I can throw something together to eat if you’re hungry.”

“Coffee’s good, we already ate so you don’t have to bother with food.”

“I’ll take water,” Sam offered. “I want to sleep tonight.”

“There’s some in the fridge Sam. Figured I’d let you two get a good night’s sleep before going over the case with you.”

“That’s good. My brain doesn’t feel like working right now.”

“I think I’ll head on up, get a shower and go on to bed,” Sam told them.

“Alright Sammy, I’ll be up soon too.”

Bobby and Dean watched Sam lumber toward the stairs to pick up his bags and head up the stairs to the second floor. They had a bedroom with twin beds they used when staying with Bobby. It had been their room since the first time John dropped them off at Bobby’s while he hunted.

“Is your brother alright?” Bobby questioned. These boys were the sons he never had and couldn’t be prouder of them to turn out as good as they did with the life they had growing up. He could still see the deep need for the oldest to protect the youngest and didn’t think that would ever change.

“I guess, you know how he gets sometimes and won’t talk to me,” he said. He wrapped his hands around his coffee cup and stared into it lost in thought.

“He was one moody kid growing up. He would go for days and not talk to anyone like he was lost in his own little world.”

“Yeah, he was one complex and weird kid.” Dean mumbled more to himself than to Bobby. “Guess I should head to bed too. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Alright, get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” Bobby watched Dean walk toward the stairs and trudge up them. He could see the exhaustion on his face and how his shoulders slumped with tiredness. He knew Dean pushed himself too hard sometimes and was too stubborn to admit it. He pushed his chair away from the table and got up to head on to bed too. The others he had called would be there tomorrow and they could discuss the case and come up with a plan.

Sam was almost asleep when he heard Dean in the hall and go into the bathroom. His eyes were heavy with sleep as he opened them into slits to see Dean come into the room. He stripped down to briefs and tee shirt before turning down his bed and slipping under the covers. He reached to turn off the small lamp between their beds casting the bedroom into shadows. A nightlight shone in the hallway so they could see at night to get to the bathroom.

“Night Dean,” Sam whispered.

“Ni’ S’mmy,” Dean yawned rolling to his side and settling.

**spn**

The first rays of a new day filtered in around the curtains as Sam rolled over and grunted and stretched. He wiped sleep from his eyes and looked over to the other bed to see it empty. He lay there a moment and then heard the shower running and his brother’s voice singing over it. He lay there for a few more minutes before getting up and searching for some clothes to put on. He was looking for one of his boots when Dean stepped back into the room with a towel cinched around his hips.

“Good you’re up,” he said looking over at Sam.

“Yeah, I’ll head on down and see what Bobby’s doing,” he replied slipping on his boot. Sam got up and left him to get dressed. He headed down the stairs and on into the kitchen finding coffee made and poured a cup. He went to the fridge and pulled out a yogurt to eat.

“Where’s Bobby?” Dean asked when he strolled in and headed to the coffee pot.

“Don’t know, maybe in the garage,” he shrugged spooning yogurt into his mouth.

“Let’s go see and find out what’s going on.” Dean headed for the front door with Sam following behind him. They made their way across the gravel lot toward the garage and saw a bay door up and heard music coming from inside. “Yo Bobby, you in here?”

“Over here,” Bobby replied from under a car on jacks.

“Anything I can help with?” Dean asked looking into the engine bay of the car.

“No, I’m almost done.”

“So, what’s this case you need help on?”

Bobby slid out from under the car and grabbed a rag to wipe his hands. “How ‘bout letting the jack down on that side.”

Dean went to the jack and slowly turned the valve letting the pressure out and watched as the car slowly lowered until the tires were on the ground. He pulled the jack out and moved it to the side out of the way.

“You remember Ash from the Roadhouse?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah, strange dude, seems high all the time, but a genius on the computer.”

“That’s him. He ran across a site on the dark web that is auctioning off creatures to the highest bidder.”

“Creatures as in what we hunt?” Sam asked, surprised by the words.

“Vampires, werewolves, any that could be captured by what he found.”

“Who the hell would want to buy them?” Dean questioned. “I mean what do you do with them. You can’t parade them around like a dog. They’re more than likely to get eaten.”

“You know how stupid people can be. Some have more money than they know what to do with and think it would up their status having something no one else does.”

“Dumb asses,” Dean muttered shaking his head in disgust.

“Mackie and Caleb should be here within the hour and we’ll pack and head out. Ash got us a location of the warehouse where the creatures are being held. We need to stop this auction from happening.”

“Where are we heading?” Sam asked.

“Scottsbluff, Nebraska.”

“Guess we need to check our weapon’s stock,” Dean decided. They headed back to the house to start preparing for the trip. “Do you have any extra holy water Bobby?”

“Yeah down in the basement. Help yerselves to whatever ya need.”

“Thanks Bobby. Sammy you wanna check the machetes and knives to be sure they’re sharpened?”

“You get the bag from the bedroom and I’ll grab things from the trunk, keys?”

Dean pulled out his keys and tossed them from the porch toward his brother. Sam headed for the Impala and Dean and Bobby went on inside. He lifted the false bottom and propped it up with a sawed-off shotgun. Sam grabbed an empty pack and put the machetes, knives, empty bottles for holy water and several boxes of silver bullets. He looked up when the sound of a vehicle moved up the driveway. An older model tan Ford pulled in beside the Impala and stopped. Two men got out and walked toward him. One he knew and the other must be the hunter Bobby told them about.

“Sammy, my man!” Caleb greeted him, bumping shoulders and slapping him on the back.

“Hey Caleb, good to see you again,” Sam replied happily. They had worked with Caleb before over the years and had become friends. He was a year older than Sam and had been trained by Bobby too.

“Sam, this is Mackie. Mackie, Sam Winchester.”

“Winchester, John Winchester’s boy?” Mackie asked.

“Yeah, that’s my Dad.”

“Did some hunts with John years ago. Hey, sorry to hear about his death. He was a good hunter.”

“Thanks,” Sam said looking away. He didn’t want to talk about his Dad and closed the trunk and draped the pack handles over his shoulder. “Bobby and Dean are inside.” He headed for the porch and went in leaving the door open for them to come in.

“Mackie, Caleb, glad you could help out,” Bobby said. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen. Might as well meet in there.”

“That sounds good.”

“Caleb!” Dean greeted them when they joined him in the kitchen.

“Dean, dude! Long time,” Caleb replied bumping fists with him.

“Mackie, this is my brother Dean,” Sam introduced them. “Mackie did some hunts with Dad.”

“Good to meet you. So, you knew our Dad?”

“Yeah, he was a good hunter, knew his stuff.”

“Okay, let’s get everyone up to speed and get ready to head out,” Bobby told them. They gathered around the table and went over the information he had gotten from Ash and devised a plan to take this auction down. 

**spn**

Sam pulled up the address of the warehouse and got the lay of the land surrounding it. He printed out directions for them before giving the machetes a sharpen and loading extra clips with silver bullets. The others were doing the same preparing themselves as best they could. Ash had gotten as much information that he could, but there were still holes in their plan. Until they actually found the place and checked it out, they wouldn’t know exactly what they were walking into.

Bobby rode with Dean and Sam and Mackie and Caleb followed them in his car. The auction was set for the weekend, so they had four days to get there and figure a way to derail it. It was going to be late when they got to Scottsbluff, so they were going to get rooms and get some rest. They would scout the warehouse the next day and see where the weakest points were and if they could tell how many guards they had around the place.

Dean switched out with Sam to let him drive for a while so he wouldn’t be so wiped out when they got to Scottsbluff. He settled in the back and let the rocking of the car and the purr of the engine lull him to sleep.

Sam frowned and glanced in the back when Dean started making funny, crude noises in his sleep and figured he was dreaming about having sex with some woman. He shook his head in disgust and reached over to smack at his brother’s leg hoping to rouse him enough to stop the dream before it got out of hand.

“Wh..?” Dean grumbled as he snorted and shifted in the seat. He didn’t wake up completely and settled back down to snooze.

Dean took the last leg of the trip when they stopped for gas and found at a motel on the outskirts of the town. They got rooms and settled in for the rest of the night.

**spn**

There was not much traffic in the warehouse district as Mackie drove around the area. Mackie, Dean and Bobby were checking out the warehouse while Sam and Caleb went to the courthouse to see what they could find out about the place. He found a place to park where the warehouse could be watched, and Dean got out to see if he could get closer. Bobby warned him to be careful and not get caught.

There were no guards posted outside and Dean made his way down the side of the building. He found a ladder that led to the roof and scaled it to see if there were any skylights or a door he could sneak inside. He lucked out and found two sets of skylights on the roof. Dean rubbed a clear spot in one of the panes and squatted down to peer inside. He saw a large open space on one side and what looked like offices toward the middle. Two armed men walked out of one of the offices and strolled out of sight.

He moved to the other skylight and checked the interior. There were what looked like cages that were covered with tarps, lined around a large room. This was definitely the place. Deciding he had stayed up there long enough, Dean headed for the ladder and was about to start down it when a door opened, and a man stepped outside. He froze in place hugging the ladder and watched the man light a cigarette. After ten long minutes, he dropped the butt, ground it out before stepping back inside. Dean waited another ten minutes before clamoring down and slinking back to where Mackie was parked.

“That was close,” Dean said. “Good thing he didn’t look up.”

“Yeah, about got your ass handed to ya, dumbass,” Bobby growled at him.

“This is the place and I saw three guards but there could be more in there.”

“Contact Sam and let him know. Tell him we’ll meet him at the diner a couple of streets over. We’ll wait until it gets dark before making our move.”

“On it,” Dean replied getting out his cell and calling his brother. He relayed the information as Mackie pulled from where they were parked and headed for the diner to meet up with Sam and Caleb.

**spn**

The only lights around the warehouse were streetlights on both ends of the row of buildings. The warehouse they were heading to was cast deeply in shadows and the hunters stayed well within them as they made their way to the middle warehouse. None spoke as they stopped just short of the building and studied it looking for any signs of life guarding the outside. When none were seen, Dean and Sam headed one way and the others went the opposite way mounting an attack from two sides. Dean had drawn a layout of the inside from what he saw so they would have a general idea of what to expect when they got inside. The plan was to take out any guards that were inside and then deal with the creatures being held here.

Dean found a side door and watched as Sam bent down to pick the lock. When Sam heard the click, he stored his picks and carefully opened the door enough to see inside before slipping into the warehouse. Dean followed staying close to the walls and behind stacked boxes and crates as they waited to see if anyone would checkout their break in. Dean was about to move when a scuffle stopped him, and a man appeared walking between the stacks of crates. He pressed against the crates and waited until the guard moved past before putting him in a choke hold until he was unconscious. Sam stepped in and tied and gagged the guard, after he disarmed him. They pulled him back into a corner out of sight before moving toward the offices.

Mackie, Caleb, and Bobby found another entrance and picked the lock to get in. They were just starting toward the middle of the building when two guards stepped out suddenly confronted them. Both parties were surprised, but the hunters were faster, and two shots rang out, echoing through the open space. The guards fell to the floor as Mackie and Caleb kept their guns trained on them being sure they were not getting back up. Knowing there was no use being quiet now, they hurried on to find the Dean and Sam.

Dean heard the gun shots and headed in that direction. Two more guards stepped from an office blocking their path. They brought their guns up and got off several shots before Dean took them out. He heard Sam cry out in pain and swear before the guards went down. He looked back to see Sam gripping his left bicep and blood seeping between his fingers.

“Sammy? How bad?” Dean asked.

“Nothing serious, I can make it,” he insisted jerking out a bandana to wrap around his upper arm. “Duck!” Sam yelled grabbing his gun and firing at the guard that ran toward them with his gun aimed at Dean’s back.

Dean automatically fell at his brother’s feet as Sam fired at the guard taking him out as Bobby shot from the side also hitting him. He twisted and jerked before going down in a heap.

“You okay Dean,” Sam huffed keeping his gun trained toward the offices looking for anyone else that might be coming out.

Dean stood and ducked behind Sam to get to his left side so he could finish bandaging Sam’s injury. Once he was done, they headed for Bobby and the others watching for any more guards.

“Was that the last of them?” Dean asked letting his gun swing around the room looking for any others.

“I think that was it,” Bobby told him. “Where did you see the cages?”

“This way,” Dean told him. He took the lead and led them toward the back of the building to a door that was locked with several large padlocks. “Anyone bring some bolt cutters?”

“Stand back,” Bobby told them as he aimed at the padlocks with his shotgun. The others stepped back out of range so Bobby could take the shots.

“I see you still got it old man,” Dean snickered picking up a piece of pipe and slamming it into the locks to break them open. He pulled them loose and slid the door down on its rollers until it was opened.

“Oh crap!” Caleb gagged when the smell from the room slapped them in the face.

Everyone began to cough and gag from the stench spilling from the room. Sam leaned against the wall, his eyes watered as he tried to take shallow breaths and not puke in front of everyone. Dean was dry heaving and leaned over with his hands on his knees.

“We need to…Let this place air out some…” Dean choked out as he cleared his throat and leaned to the side to spit.

“Find something to cover your nose and mouth,” Bobby told them pulling out a bandana and tying it around his face. Sam was the only one that couldn’t since his was tied around his wound.

“Why don’t you stay here Sammy?” Dean told him.

“I’m fine,” he insisted pulling his arm from his jacket and taking a knife to partly cut off the sleeve of his shirt. He winced in pain as he jerked it loose before slipping his jacket back on. He used it to cover his face before following them into the large room.

They started on one side of the room, but Sam heard something on the other side of the room and went to check it out. He moved around covered cages to a larger one that took up a lot of space. He took his knife and cut the cord holding the tarp in place so it could be pulled away. Sam stared in shock and disbelief at what was behind the bars of the cage.

“Holy shit, what the hell is that?” Dean asked stepping up behind Sam. He had missed him and came looking for him.

“I’ve only read about them, but never thought they were real,” Sam whispered in awe. “It’s a Hippogriff, kind of like a Griffin, and does not belong in our world that’s for sure. It’s very rare and very intelligent. I can’t believe a creature like this would be here. I mean how did they capture it?”

The Hippogriff stared boldly at the brothers with brilliant orange eyes as it ruffled its wings and clicked its sharp beak and scrapped its long talons on the cold, concrete floor. It stood about nine feet tall from head to the ground and was about eight feet long. This creature came from a realm where fairies, elves, and magical creatures existed. The front half was an eagle and back half was that of a horse. Huge wings with shades of brown, black, gold, and white that couldn’t be spread out were tucked by its side. The Hippogriff looked like it was in pain in its tight confinement of the cage that didn’t let it move around.

“No hurt,” a soft voice called from nearby that couldn’t be seen.

Dean turned and looked around trying to find who spoke. “Hello?” Dean called out. He didn’t get an answer but moved slowly toward another cage that sat beside the large one. He untied the tarp and pulled it from the cage. The Hippogriff shrieked in anger when Dean moved to break the lock from the cage.

“Easy, easy, we won’t hurt you or what’s in the cage,” Sam said quickly putting his gun away and holding up his hands. “What did you find Dean?”

“Not sure,” Dean said. He squatted down and looked inside to see a human like creature huddled in the corner of the cage. He couldn’t tell what he was but saw a chain was attached to the wall and was shackled around his ankle. He eased closer to the being trying not to scare it when he saw it pressing itself into the corner. “I’m going to help you,” Dean said slowly. He pulled his lock pick kit out and scooted closer reaching for the shackle.

Sam saw keys hanging on the wall and grabbed them. He went through six before finding the one that unlocked the door for the cage. He opened the door slowly watching the Hippogriff eye him and could see the wisdom in its eyes.

“I won’t hurt you so don’t hurt me, okay?” Sam asked carefully trying not to make any fast moves. “I am sorry that this has happened to you, but I will help you.” He bowed his head to the creature out of respect and stayed that way for nearly a minute before he heard clicking and looked up.

The creature had its head cocked sideways to look at Sam and its wings were pulled to its body now. Sam noticed something shiny and metal around its neck and tried to see what it was among the feathers.

Dean got the shackle loose and unfastened it from the ankle of the small creature. “There you go, do you want to come out of this cage?” Dean eased out and waited as the being got to its feet and shuffled slowly toward to the open door. The being paused in the doorway like it was afraid to come out. Once Dean could see it better, he saw what looked like a kid, but knew it wasn’t. It was a little over two feet tall, slim, and its clothes looked like they were handmade. His face was elongated with almond shaped eyes and pointed ears. Little nubs that looked like horns showed through his dark stringy hair. His appearance looked like a two-year-old child, but he couldn’t tell how old he was since his face looked older than a child. “Hi there, you can come out. No one’s going to hurt you.”

“No hurt,” the creature asked again looking warily at Dean and out the door toward the other cage.

“No, we won’t hurt you or your friend,” Dean nodded to the other cage.

Sam moved closer to the Hippogriff to get a better look at the circle of metal around its neck. He felt a wing brush across his cheek and tickle it. “Can I try and get that off of you?” Sam waited until it dipped his head giving Sam access to the band. He saw it was some type of shock device similar to what was used on dogs so they wouldn’t bark but it had been modified to cause more pain. Sam reached up and carefully moved it around until he found a place for a key to unlock it. He used the keys he found and started trying them until one finally fit and removed the collar tossing it aside. Sam jerked as gun shots echoed in the room from the other side where Bobby, Mackie and Caleb were.

The Hippogriff hissed and drew his wings upward as far as he could pushing Sam in the bars of the cage.

“It’s okay, no one will hurt you, I promise that,” he told the Hippogriff hoping to calm it. He laid a hand against the Hippogriff’s thick, muscular chest trying to calm it.

“Sammy, wanna come out here?” Dean called to him.

“Yeah, what?” Sam asked stepping from the cage to look his way.

“Any idea?” Dean asked pointing to the little being that stepped from the cage to look between Dean and Sam.

The small being saw the Hippogriff and stumbled toward him throwing his arms around one of its talon legs. A chirping and clicking of Hippogriff’s beak sounded like it was talking to the small being. He brushed a wing over the small body and ruffled the being’s hair with his beak.

“It’s not an elf or fairy but it comes from that realm,” Sam told him. “And it seems they know each other.”

The small creature turned back to the brothers to look at them. After a moment and nudge from the Hippogriff, he spoke.

“My thanks, we go home now,” he told them.

“Do you know how to get home?” Sam asked.

“Borgue will take,” he replied turning to look at the Hippogriff.

“Can you tell me what you are? You’re not an elf thought you have similar features, but you come from there.”

“Name be Juke, am Imp,” he introduced himself bowing to them and pointing at his chest. The small being poked out his chest trying to act braver and bigger than he was.

“Juke, it is nice to meet you, I am Sam and that’s my brother Dean.”

“Does Borgue know how to get back to your world?” Dean asked studying the Hippogriff.

“Fly high, fly fast, knows way.”

“What you boys doing?” Bobby asked stopping behind them. “Do we need to be worried?” he asked slowly raising his gun when he took in the huge beast.

“No Bobby, he won’t hurt us, put it away,” Sam told him when he saw Borgue’s feather ruffle and heard a hiss from him.

“Help me get this cage apart here so he can get out,” Dean told Sam. “We need to get the front sides off.”

“Alright,” Sam nodded seeing what Dean was doing.

They worked on opening the cage wider and the Hippogriff stepped easily from the enclosure. He moved away from the cages where there was more room and spread his wings wide stretching them in relief. He moved them up and down several times sending waves of air out over the humans standing nearby. Dean was knocked back a couple of steps and Sam grabbed onto Caleb to keep from falling.

“Let’s get them out of here so they can go home,” Sam said. “Can you follow me?” he asked Borgue.

The Imp moved to the Hippogriff’s side and spoke in a language none of them knew. With his words, Borgue moved out of the room and through the open door into the main part of the building. Sam and Dean moved ahead of them and went to the large front doors to figure out how to open them allowing the creatures out into the fresh air.

“Let me help you,” Sam told Juke as he lifted him up onto Borgue’s back and made sure he was settled. He stepped back once the Imp had a good hold on Hippogriff’s body. It was a strange sight to see and one they would probably never see again.

“Thank you,” Juke told them as he gripped tightly to the Hippogriff’s back.

“Safe travels,” Sam told him with a small salute.

With a hard flap of his wings, the Hippogriff trotted forward and lifted off from the ground taking flight. He flew over the building and disappeared into the night sky, lost in the darkness. They stood there looking up at the stars all lost in thought over what they had just seen.

“How about the other creatures?” Sam finally asked.

“We put them down, most were starved or had gone crazy from being caged for so long. We couldn’t let them free in their condition. They were too dangerous to humans,” Bobby replied. “Don’t know who did this, but the should be drawn and quartered.”

“Better yet, let them live in a cage and see how it feels.”

“So, are we done here then?” Dean asked.

“We should burn the evidence,” Mackie offered. “I saw some gas in there. No need for anyone to question what is in there.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he agreed.

They went back inside and proceeded to burn the dead creatures before leaving and calling the fire department. They headed out of town and made their way back toward Sioux Falls. This was a first for all of them and they hoped it would be the last auction they had to stop but doubted it.

**The End**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you for reading my project and I hope you are enjoying them. This hunt doesn’t turn out like the guys thought it would. Comments would make my day. NC**

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J

It was getting late as the black Impala cruised down the highway and the driver was deciding whether to push on or start looking for a motel for the night. He looked over at his younger brother and saw the vacant look in his eyes. Their last case was a hard one that took its toll on him.

It was bad enough to find out his little brother had psychic abilities and then to find another young man his age also had them too. Sam had a vision that led them to Saginaw, Michigan and to the Miller family. Joe was killed in an what looked like a suicide, but they had their doubts. Sam had another vision of Joe’s brother, Roger, being beheaded but couldn’t stop it from happening either.

They learned that Joe and Roger regularly beat Max, Joe’s son, and his stepmother never did anything to stop it. They stopped Max from killing his stepmother and Sam found out his biological mother died pinned to the ceiling in his nursery. His father blamed him for her death and never loved him like a father should. Sam told Max they were connected in some way, but Max’s rage takes over. Seeing he can’t stop what is happening to him, Max killed himself in front of Sam and Dean.

Later, Sam asked Dean if he’s concerned that he might lose control like Max, but Dean tells him it won’t happen because he has something Max didn’t have, him. The whole thing put Sam in a funky mood that he had not come out of and Dean was starting to get worried. He hadn’t seen Sam like this before and wasn’t sure how to snap him out of it. It was scary and unnerving enough having to deal with his little brother having visions and god knows what else, and now Dean was trying to pull his brother out of the depressed mood he had fallen into. Sam had hardly spoken to him in four days except for a few one syllable words. It was like he was moving on autopilot and didn’t see the world around him passing him by. Sam seemed to be withdrawing into himself as a self-defense mechanism from it all.

Dean had been heading for Sioux Falls, to see their mentor, Bobby Singer, until he received coordinates from a blocked cell number. Sam traced the coordinates, 39.2543 N 79.4978 W, to a town in West Virginia called Silver Lake. He was sure they were from their father, but he didn’t understand why he wouldn’t contact them. This had been John’s way of sending possible cases their way since they didn’t hunt together anymore.

Sam had checked out the papers for the area and found articles on a mysterious animal that was terrorizing people in the forest around the town. No one knew what it was or how to stop it. Dean was sure their father wanted them to check it out and see if it was their kind of thing.

Dean had gotten no complaints from Sam about heading to Silver Lake to investigate what was going on there. He wanted to find their father to get answers to what was happening to him. Maybe Sam thought John would be there waiting on them, but Dean doubted it. John had been secretive and elusive about his whereabouts and didn’t think he would be anywhere near there.

“You getting hungry Sammy?” Dean asked his brother. He looked over at him when he didn’t get a response and saw a lift of one shoulder as an answer. Dean snorted in anger and tightened his grip on the steering wheel determined more than ever to get his brother out of this funk. “I’ll drive for another hour or so and find us a place for the night and we’ll get something to eat then. If we’re up early, we should get to Silver Lake before lunch tomorrow,” Dean said. “Grunt if you understand me,” he said sarcastically.

“It’s fine,” Sam whispered in a dull tone.

Dean didn’t say anything else to his brother. He kept his eyes on the road and checked the information signs to find an exit that had food and lodging. He knew now was not the time to confront Sam about his funky mood but planned on trying to make him talk tonight before they went to bed. Not having your head in the game was the quickest way to get yourself killed or badly hurt while on a hunt. He wasn’t let Sam anywhere near the action if he didn’t think he was able to do the job.

**spn**

Dean opened the door to their room and strolled in dropping the key on the dresser. Sam came in behind him carrying a container with most of his dinner that he didn’t eat. He hadn’t had much of an appetite since his encounter with Max no matter how much Dean fussed at him to eat. He put the container in the mini fridge and headed for the bathroom to do his nightly routine before bed.

“We need to talk Sammy,” Dean stated. He tried to keep his expression neutral but had stress lines on his forehead and a pensive look in his eyes.

Dean’s words made Sam falter in his step and look to where he was sitting at the table. He didn’t speak as he looked down at the carpet under his feet.

“Sit Sammy,” Dean said. He pushed the other chair out for him and waited. After a few moments, Sam finally dropped into the chair across from him. “Look, I know you’ve been in a funky mood since, you know what happened to that Max kid, but you need to snap out of it. You’re not eating, you barely sleep, you won’t talk; hell, you look like shit.”

Sam wouldn’t look up at him as he twisted his fingers together as he listened to him talk. He cringed slightly as Dean’s voice rose toward the end with a hint of anger. His shoulders slumped and he tried to make himself smaller when the image of Max blowing his brains out forced its way into his mind. He caught his lower lip between his teeth and bit down on it to keep his emotions in check.

“Bro you gotta talk to me. You know this isn’t good for you. Tell me what I can do to get you out of this funk,” Dean begged. “I only want to help Sammy.”

“I know,” Sam finally forced out in a strained voice. “I can’t get it out of my head…It’s all I see when I close my eyes. That could have been me Dean, what if I…what if I start losing it and…”

“Stop it now! That would never happen to you. Like I told you, you’ve got me, and I’ll never let that happen to you. You are so much stronger than Max was. What was done to him was messed up and it changed him; it made him mentally unstable, paranoid, and dangerous. You could never turn out like him, nope, not while I’m around.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’m here to keep you sane. Our lives might not have been storybook perfect, but you know Dad loves us and did his best for us. He taught us how to take care of ourselves and to look out for each other. I’m sorry that Max was abused like he was, but you couldn’t have stopped what happened. You’ve got to let it go and move on dude. You’re making yourself sick and if you keep it up, I can’t let you be out there hunting.”

Sam jerked his head toward Dean in shock and giving a startled gasp. His eyes were wide with anxiety and uncertainty.

“I’m fine. You can’t be out there by yourself Dean,” Sam insisted stiffened and sitting up straighter.

“I’m not letting you anywhere near a hunt when your mind is not in the game. You could get yourself hurt or killed or me hurt or killed.”

“I wouldn’t let that happen. Tomorrow I’ll start doing the research and see what I can find out.”

“That’s good. While you do that, I’ll go hit the locals and see what they have on the case,” Dean told him. “Why don’t you go on to bed and try to get some rest. I know you’ve not slept good in a while.”

Sam knew Dean was finished talking now and there was no use arguing. Dean was right, he needed to stop dwelling on what happened and focus on the case because Dean was going to need him. He couldn’t let him down. He needed to be at his best for this hunt. Sam moved to get up but stopped when Dean grabbed his arm.

“Are we good Sammy?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, I get it Dean. I’ll be ready for the hunt,” Sam assured him.

“Alright then,” Dean nodded letting go. He watched Sam go to his bed and turn it down before sitting on the side of it to take his boots off and then pulled off his clothes leaving on briefs and tee shirt. He slipped between the sheets and pulled the covers up as he lay down. Dean moved to the other bed after picking up the remote and turning on the television. He lowered the volume and flipped through the channels until finding something to watch. All he could see of Sam in the bed beside him was the top of his head. He had turned on his side and curled up under the covers to sleep.

**spn**

Dean walked into the police station and gave it a quick once over before moving to the desk to speak to the deputy sitting behind it.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“I hope so deputy, I’m with the Fish and Wildlife Department, name’s Stewart, and would like to speak with someone about the unknown wild animal sightings in the area,” Dean replied pulling out a badge and flashing it at her.

“Just a moment and I’ll have someone help you,” she said picking up the phone and speaking into it for a moment. “If you’ll take a seat the sheriff will be out shortly.”

Dean looked behind him and saw chairs against the wall. He sat down and looked around the room as he waited. He could feel the deputy’s eyes on him and tried to ignore her curious glances his way. He only had to wait ten minutes before the Sheriff came through a door behind the desk.

“I’m Sheriff Lawton, how may I help you?” he asked.

“I’m here to check out the wild animal sightings in the area Sheriff Lawton; Ranger Stewart,” Dean greeted him shaking his hand.

“If you’ll follow me, we can talk in my office.” The sheriff led Dean to the back and to an office in the corner. “Not sure I can tell you that much.”

“Tell me what you know, and could I get a copy of any reports you have on the case.”

“Of course, let me buzz Sophie and have her get that together,” he replied calling to the front so she could be doing that. “I’ll tell you the eyewitnesses were not much help. I got different stories from each one. The only common factor was they all agreed they had never heard a scream like that before. They said it sounded unearthly.”

Dean questioned the sheriff for ten more minutes until a knock sounded at the door and Dean turned to look as Sheriff Lawton called enter. The female deputy entered with a folder and handed it to the sheriff before stepping back out.

“Here you go, eyewitness reports, pictures from the areas the wild animal was seen, and locations marked on a map. If you need anything else get in touch with me.” He passed Dean the folder and stood to see him out.

“Thank you for your cooperation and if my partner and I find anything I’ll be in touch.” Dean shook his hand and headed out. He was going to head back to the motel to see what Sam had found before going to the location where the sightings had been. He pulled from the parking lot and merged into the traffic on Main Street and followed it through town to weave back around toward the road leading to the motel. Dean stopped at a convenience store and picked up sodas, beers and waters before going on to the motel.

“Brought drinks,” Dean called as he let himself back into the room holding up the bag. “You find anything?”

“Maybe, ever heard of the Jersey Devil?” Sam asked looking up from the laptop screen.

“Does seem to ring a bell. Seems like I read about it several years ago.”

“The legend starts about three hundred years ago in the early 1700s,” Sam started. “Thanks,” he nodded accepting a bottle of water from Dean. He opened it and took a long swallow before continuing. “A woman by the name of Deborah Leeds became pregnant with her thirteenth child…”

“Sounds like they needed some birth control,” Dean surmised settling into the empty chair at the table.

Sam gave him a bitchy look at being interrupted before he continued. “She took the child to be an ill omen and offered it to the devil. When the child was born seems it transformed into a hideous, murdering demon with horns, wings and claws. It massacred the entire family before fleeing into what was called the Pine Barrens. That’s a dense forest between Philadelphia and the Atlantic Ocean. It hid there for over two centuries. People would hear horrible screams in the night but never saw anything.”

“And you think this Jersey Devil may have migrated this way?” Dean asked when Sam paused to sip on his water.

“It could have, maybe with civilization taking over its hunting grounds, it was pushed out and moved this way. In 1909 reports were taken in 30 different communities in NJ that the jersey devil had been seen. Most said it was kangaroo shaped, with about a four feet tall with huge bat like wings. Pets and farm animals started going missing and were blamed on the creature. It went back into hiding and sporadically appeared over the next 80 years. In 1995 a park ranger sighted a creature on his way home. It looked nothing like the first descriptions of the creature. He described it as a large dark figure that emerged from the woods in front of him almost making him wreck. Whatever it was stayed in the light of his headlights for several minutes before disappearing into the woods on the other side of the road. It stood upright and was covered with dark matter fur that was shiny and wet looking. He said it was six feet tall, had a deer like head with red glowing eyes and short pointed ears.”

“There’s not much in the police reports here, no one actually saw it. They only heard some inhuman screams and they heard something moving around in the underbrush that sounded like a large animal. None hung around to see what it could be which was probably a good choice.”

“Thing is, I’ve not found any reports of it attacking humans. It seems to avoid contact with us if possible.”

“So, we don’t even know if this thing even exists or if it’s dangerous?”

“Pretty much,” Sam sighed rubbing his tired eyes.

“Guess our next step is checking out the areas around the town and see if we find any sign of a creature. I’ll be ready in a minute.” Dean pushed away from the table and headed for the bathroom.

Sam got up and found his boots to put on while he waited to use the bathroom after Dean. He moved by Dean when he came out and did his thing. Dean was checking his gun when Sam came out and he went to the bag to get his own gun. They headed from the motel room and got in the Impala and headed for the first location where one of the eyewitnesses reported they heard the unknown wild animal.

**spn**

Dean parked at the beginning of a trailhead and got out looking at a map that the sheriff had provided. He looked around and checked the markers to be sure they were in the right place.

“Okay, looks like the location is about half a mile up the trail where it branches off to head deeper into the forest.”

“Guess we do some hiking,” Sam commented looking around the area thinking it looked like a nice place to hike.

Dean went first up the trail and Sam followed slightly to the side of him. There were places where the path narrowed, and he fell in behind him. The air was warming up as the sun rose higher in the sky. It didn’t take them long to get to where the unknown creature was heard and began to look around.

Dean moved off the trail and began to search through the trees for any signs of a creature being there, footprints, fur caught on branches, broken branches, anything of interest. They searched to area for twenty minutes before calling it quits and moving on to the next location that was a mile deeper into the forest.

When the brothers didn’t find anything at the second location, Dean called it quits for now and they headed back into town for a late lunch and were going to head back out later in the afternoon toward dusk. Sam reasoned that if there was a creature roaming the woods it would more than likely come out at night that the daytime.

They were going to grab a couple of camping lanterns before going back out so they could set up a decoy camp to hopefully lure the creature out. Sam tried to reason with Dean about not shooting first until they saw if one, there was anything out there and two, it might not be dangerous to humans and just wants to be left alone.

From what he could find about a creature named the Jersey Devil it only attacked livestock and animals it seemed to like for food. The only reference to killing humans was the first account of how it came to be back in the 1700s when it killed its family. There was a lot they didn’t know about some of the monsters they hunted, and he wondered if maybe some were not a danger and didn’t deserve to die.

Dean chose a diner when he saw they had daily specials and today was hamburger steak, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls and drink. He was going to have then add sautéed onions to the steak and of course have a slice of pie. He was sure Sam could find something to his liking on the menu that was rabbit food.

He wondered sometimes how they were related with his quirks about eating so healthy. They ate, stopped by a store for the camping lanterns, and went back to the motel to pack before heading back out to the hiking trails located outside the town. If the sightings held true, Sam thought he knew what area the creature might be in next.

**spn**

“I hope this is the place ‘cause I’m ‘bout hiked out,” Dean complained as they stopped at a clearing just off the trail they had been hiking.

Sam looked at the map and looked around before answering. “Looks good. If you draw a line from the first to last sighting it continues this way,” Sam replied. “It’s like whatever this is, it is moving around the town, staying away from populated areas.”

“Well, we’ve got an hour or so before it starts getting dark, I’m going to scout the area while you get the trap set up,” Dean told him dropping his small pack by Sam’s feet. He wandered into the trees and disappeared, blending into the surrounds almost instantly.

Sam looked around deciding on where to set up the camp lanterns so he could light them when it got darker. He pulled out a small radio and found a station before turning it back off. After hacking a couple of leafy branches from the trees bordering the clearing, Sam threw them on the ground and covered them with a blanket making it look like someone was camping there. He adjusted a ball cap to make a head and stood back to look at his handiwork.

When it got dark, he thought it would fool anyone if they weren’t right next to it. He looked up and listened trying to find his brother in the woods around him. Wherever Dean was, he was in the zone and Sam couldn’t pinpoint him until he stepped out from among the trees on the other side of the clearing.

“Did you see anything?” Sam asked.

“No, everything seems clear out there. I found places for us to set up and watch when it starts getting dark,” Dean replied. He looked over the setup Sam had done and nodded his approval.

“The sun will be going down in the next thirty minutes and the reports said the sighting were between dusk and two hours after darkness.”

“Good, I don’t want to stay out here all night waiting on something to happen.”

“Where do you want me?” Sam reached down and turned the radio back on and adjusted the volume where it could be heard around them.

“Really?” Dean asked looking at the radio frowning at the music choice.

“It’s the only station I could pick up,” Sam shrugged not thinking it was a big deal.

“On that side, there’s a spot in between some brush that will hide you but will let you see.” Dean led his brother to the spot and waited as he got settled before moving to the other side where he set up himself.

As the day drew to a close, the light faded away and dusk fell casting the surroundings into different shades of shadows. The brothers remained still and quiet listening for the sounds that didn’t belong. The day creatures were disappearing as the night creatures took their places singing out their lonesome serenade.

Dean didn’t move a muscle as a trickle of sweat dripped down the side of his face. He could hear the gnats buzzing around his head but didn’t swat them away. His eyes roamed the night checking the shadows and listening for any snaps of twigs or rustle of leaves around him. The camping lanterns cast out a hazy, dim glow that didn’t reach very far into the night.

Sam shifted slightly from his perch on the fallen tree that had come down during some random storm. His eyes had adjusted to the dimming light and he listened to the crickets and insects that came out this time of night. He could hear the night birds chirping and calling out to a mate and the rustling of leaves above his head. Off in the distance a lone wolf howled to the half-moon and then things went quiet, like the volume had been turned off. This made him freeze and his senses go hyper alert as he tried to feel what was out there.

The growl that slowly got louder and turned into an animalistic scream sounded behind Sam’s hiding place. He pulled his gun before easing from the brush and skirting around and through the trees toward where it came from. He let his eyes adjust to the lesser light before moving forward trying to pinpoint the location.

Twigs broke off to the side of his hiding spot and he aimed the gun that way. Another crack of a branch gave him the direction of something moving toward the lights. He moved out and around a large tree trunk to get behind the sounds. A shadowy figure could be seen moving in and out among a grove of trees that butted the clearing. Dean raised his gun and got the monster in his sights as he gently began to squeeze the trigger.

“No Dean!” Sam yelled breaking into the clearing. “Don’t shoot!”

Dean pulled the gun skyward and scowled in his brother’s direction. He wasn’t sure what he was doing as Sam dropped something on the ground and called out.

“Better come on out or my brother is going to shoot you and he doesn’t miss.” Sam voice was harsh and stern, and he crossed his arms over his chest to wait and see if anything was going to happen.

“My brother’s right, try and run and I’ll pop you in the knee,” Dean added firing a warning shot into a tree near the shadow. He watched it jump and fall to the ground as a wavering voice answered him.

“Please mister, don’t shoot,” a young voice cried out.

“Alright, get up and get out here where I can see you,” Dean growled in anger as he stalked toward the body on the ground who was trying to get up.

“Dean, you okay?” Sam called turning up the camp lanterns so they could see better. He watched Dean push a figure ahead of him toward the light.

“Meet our Jersey Devil,” he spat in disgust. Dean jerked a hood from the head of a teenage boy who stared in utter fright at the two hunters. “This is the dumbass that I almost shot.”

“I found a recorder and speaker sitting back in the trees. That’s where the creature sounds came from. Whose brilliant idea was this anyway?”

“Joey’s,” the guy stammered, barely able to stand from shaking so hard. “You’re…Not goin’ to hur…Hurt me, are you?”

“I should shoot your sorry ass,” Dean told him holding his gun back up and pointing it at the guy.

“Dean,” Sam huffed watching the teenager blubber harder while he tried to scoot away from them.

“Listen up kid,” Dean started grabbing a fist full of matted fur. “You’re going to go to the sheriff and tell what you did and who all was involved, and you better hope he decides not to throw you in jail for being a damn idiot. And if you don’t…” He pulled his cell out and snapped photos of the kid’s face. “I have your mug shot and believe me when I tell you I will hunt you down and hurt you.”

“Yes sir, yes sir. I’ll do it right now,” the teenager rushed out, nodding his head quickly as Dean let him go. He backed away from them before turning and running away into the darkness.

Dean and Sam watched as the guy fell down several times trying to make his way back to the trail. They stood there for a moment, neither saying anything.

“Well, that was fun,” Dean offered putting his gun away. “How did you know this was all fake?”

“Literally fell across the speakers,” Sam shrugged. “I thought it sounded too hollow and not real and went to check it out.”

“I still should have shot him anyway,” Dean stated. “Let’s clean this up and get out of here. It’s not too late and we can make it to Bobby’s if we both take turns driving.”

“Alright,” Sam replied grabbing up the blanket and one of the lanterns.

Dean grabbed the other and they made their way back to the trail. The brothers walked back toward the Impala and were almost there when a growl sounded deep in the woods.

Dean faltered in his steps for a moment before mumbling, “Didn’t hear a think.”

“Right there with you,” Sam agreed and kept walking not looking back behind them.

This was one case they were going to let drop. No one had been hurt and they found the fake monster. Anything else out there they were going to let it be.

**The End**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you for continuing this journey with me. I hope you enjoy the next letter. Comments would be great. NC**

**==============================================================================**

**L**

Dean walked up the steps from the map room into the library to find his brother hunched over his laptop. He went on past him to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, marveling still that they had their own _‘Bat Cave’_. The place was huge, and he was settling in and making it feel like home. He knew Sam didn’t see it that way yet. He still thought of it as an operational base that they used when not hunting. They were still barely speaking to each other after Gadreel had been ejected from him and Sam learned he had lied to him all this time. Dean had left for a while and hooked up with Crowley wanting to get revenge on Gadreel for killing Kevin while using Sam as a meat suit.

When their grandfather had fallen out of their closet in a motel room nearly a year ago, their lives had changed. Even though they lost him before really getting to know him, he had given them the key to this place, and this became their home base now. They didn’t have to rely on motel rooms or abandoned houses anymore.

“What are you doing?” he asked Sam taking a seat across from him.

“Checking the websites again,” he mumbled not looking up from the screen.

“I thought you said things were quiet out there. We haven’t been on a hunt in a week. Is that a bad thing?”

“It could be, but I don’t know,” he said looking up at Dean with blank eyes. 

There was still animosity between them. It wasn’t getting better and Dean didn’t know what to do. Too much had happened to both of them that changed everything between them.

“Guess we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I’m going into town to get supplies.”

“Want me to come?” Sam asked.

“Naw, stay here,” Dean shrugged getting up to head for the staircase. He really didn’t want Sam coming so didn’t give him a chance to say anything else.

Sam watched his brother trudge up the stairs and knew he should have gone with him, but he couldn’t. It was still too hard to let go of what he had done to him. Because Dean had tricked him into letting an angel possess him, he ended up killing Kevin, or Gadreel did with his hands. Deciding not to torture himself any longer, he pulled up the marked sites to check if there was a case out there. 

He was ready for a hunt to get him out of this place. It was awesome, but he didn’t see it like Dean did and couldn’t let himself feel the same way. It was a workplace that gave him all types of lore on about anything. There were books of all kinds, shapes and sizes. He wished Bobby was alive to see it. He thought he would be impressed with the collection.

Sam stopped at one site when something caught his eyes. He pulled the article up about a small town in Nebraska that had been having a rash of unsolved murders. The more he read, the more he was sure it was something they should check out. He scribbled down notes and pulled up a map of Nebraska to see how far away the town was. He was happy to see it wasn’t that far, maybe four hours at the most, and a straight shot up highway 281 to O’Neill, Nebraska. 

He pushed away from the table and headed for the room he chose to sleep in to pack his bag and to check the weapons bag while he waited for Dean to get back. Sam paused at the partly opened door to his brother’s room and glanced inside. He pushed it open more and was surprised to see he had been busy and actually decorated the room. There were his favorite weapons hanging on one wall, a collections of old albums sitting on a desk, books stacked on the corner, clothes scattered about, but what caught his eyes was a picture leaning on the lamp on the nightstand by his bed. He moved closer and gingerly picked it up to look at it. It was a picture of a blonde woman, hugging a young boy of about four in front of a house. He knew this was their Mom and Dean when he was little. This was one of a few photos he had of their Mom and he cherished it. Sam sat it back down where he had found it and stepped out of the room pulling the door partly closed again.

He wandered down the hall and around the corner to a room he chose and went in. The walls were bare and the only sign of anyone staying in there were the clothes draped over a chair and a few books setting on the desk. He couldn’t bring himself to do more, not yet, if ever.

An image came to mind of a small one story, house with a front porch and flowerpots sitting at the entrance. He brushed the memory away knowing that was of another time, another life, one that wasn’t for him. With a sigh, Sam picked up his duffle and stuffed clothes into it. He went to the bathroom below his room and got his bathroom things to pack before heading back to the library. 

He wasn’t sure how long Dean would be gone but wanted to be ready when he got back. He would take this time to print out what articles he could find online to take with them and see if there were any books that might be useful. They had so much knowledge at their fingertips now that it was mind blowing and he wanted to make use of it all.

**spn**

Dean came back into the bunker and faltered in his step when he saw the bags on the map table and frowned as he strolled on into the kitchen looking around for brother. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but it looked like Sam planned on going somewhere and he wondered if it was without him. He still couldn’t quit move pass the feeling of betrayal and disappointment in his brother when he didn’t look for him after he disappeared when he killed Dick Roman.

He put away the things that needed to go in the fridge and was putting the other things in a cabinet when Sam came into the kitchen.

“Hey,” Sam said. He seemed excited and fidgeted. “I found us a case and it’s not that far away.”

“Good. You sure you want to go alone? I mean I can handle it…”

“Why wouldn’t I want to go alone?” he butted in and asked with more anger in his voice than he meant to.

Dean looked at his and saw anger flash in his eyes before he reeled it in. “Well okay, let me get my bag.” Dean set the last two things in the cabinet and headed out of the room toward the hallway that led to the bedrooms. He dug his duffle out and looked for clean clothes to pack. Once he had that packed, he went to the bathroom and grabbed his bathroom bag before heading back out to join Sam.

“I’m ready when you are; where are we going?” Dean asked.

“O’Neill, Nebraska,” Sam said. “It’s a straight shot up highway 281.”

“Okay.” Dean headed for the staircase to climb it again and waited for Sam to go through the door before pulling it shut and locking it. He wasn’t having anyone break into the place while they were gone by leaving the door unlocked. 

**spn**

The town of O’Neill looked like most of the small towns they had visited in the past as Dean drove through it. They were going to find the police station and see what they could find out before visiting the morgue to see the bodies, at least what was left of them. The articles didn’t go into detail, but it hinted to parts being missing. Dean had come up with a cover story for them to use.

It didn’t take them long to find signs for the station and Dean followed them pulling into the parking lot and into a space marked for visitors. He pulled a cigar box from under the seat and rummaged through it handing Sam an FBI badge and taking one for himself. He glanced at both names to be sure he knew who they were pretending to be before getting out, not waiting for Sam.

With an irritated grunt, Sam got out and followed his brother toward the front doors. They went inside and stopped at a counter that separated the small waiting room from the rest of the building. He was sure behind the partition was the desks of officers and the chief’s office. Beyond that was probably interrogation room and cells for prisoners. They waited for the female deputy to look up from her writing before Dean spoke.

“Good afternoon, we’d like to speak to the whoever’s in charge deputy,” he said with a voice of authority.

Sam gave her a half smile, hoping to smooth over his brother’s manners. 

“And who are you?” she asked looking at them cautiously but giving them a once over as her eyes trailed up and down their bodies.

“My apologies, Agent Wilson and Stone, FBI.” Dean held his credentials up along with Sam for a moment and stowed them back in their pockets.

“One moment please, have a seat over there,” she nodded as she picked up the telephone on the counter and pressed a couple of buttons. She watched them turned to look and saw the chairs. They moved to sit down as she spoke into the receiver to someone in the back. She went back to her paperwork, occasionally letting her eyes wander back toward them.

It was fifteen minutes before the door behind the deputy opened and an older man stepped out. He looked toward the deputy who cast her eyes to the two sitting in the chairs waiting. He rose his full height that was equal to Sam and stepped their way.

“May I help you gentlemen?” he asked in a calm, commanding voice. “I’m Sheriff Jeffries.”

The brothers could tell he was a man of action and few words and had kept himself active and fit over the years. Neither thought they wanted to cross him or have him for an enemy.

“I hope so, Agent Wilson and Stone with the FBI, may we have a word with you?” Dean asked.

“Of course, if you’ll follow me, we can talk in my office. Donaldson, hold any calls.”

“Yes Sheriff,” the deputy said.

Jeffries led them back into an open space with desks and a couple of deputies sitting at them. He continued past them into the back to an office. He walked around a desk and took a seat, motioning the brothers to the two chairs that faced the desk.

Dean and Sam sat down and waited for the sheriff to get settled and look at them. “So, what can I do for the FBI?” he asked in a casual voice looking at them and arching an eyebrow as he took in their appearance.

“Yeah, sorry about the clothes. We had finished a case a few hours away and were on our way back home when our boss gave us a call. Didn’t take time to change,” Dean explained. “We’re here to look into the murders you’ve had lately.”

“You’re here to take over my case?” he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Don’t think I called the FBI for any help.”

“You may not have,” Sam butted in. “Someone above our pay grade contacted our boss who called us to stop by since it was on our way back to the main office. We’re not here to take over from you Sheriff. We’re just here to lend another set of eyes on the situation and offer our help. We not here to step on anyone’s toes Sheriff. We’re just following orders and will keep you informed on anything we find.”

Sheriff Jeffries leaned back and listened to Sam talk, thinking he didn’t sound like most FBI agents he had met. When he had worked in a larger city and the FBI showed up, they took over and usually shoved them local aside for all the glory and fame. 

“My partner’s right Sheriff. We want to help catch whoever is killing your people,” Dean said.

“Well, that may easier said than done. So far the only thing we’re coming up with is a wild animal attack.”

“Could we get a copy of your files on the cases so we can go over them and if you will point us in the direction of the morgue.” 

“I’ll have Donaldson get on that,” he said picking up his phone and calling out front. He spoke for a few moments and they hung up. “She’ll have them ready before you leave.”

“Thank you, Sheriff,” Sam replied. “If I may ask, what is your take on the cases?”

Sheriff Jeffries pursed his lips slightly as he cast his eyes upward for a moment seeming deep in thought. He looked back at the two brothers before speaking. “What I think and what the evidence shows doesn’t necessarily coincide. Is it an animal attack? I can’t say. It’s hard to accept and maybe too easy of an explanation. Maybe I’ll just wait and see what you guys come up with. You will keep me informed of your findings.”

“Yes, of course,” Dean said.

“That won’t be a problem sir,” Sam added with a brief smile, trying to be respectful and not cause any doubt from him.

“I’m sure you’re busy Sheriff, we’ll just wait outside for the files,” Dean offered getting up to leave. He extended his hand and gripped the sheriff’s hand tightly in his to shake.

“Good to meet both of you and I’ll be waiting to hear from you.” The sheriff’s voice was friendly and calm, but his eyes told a different story. He was not a man to be messed with.

“Likewise,” Dean said. “If you learn any new facts give us a call.” He placed a business card on the desk and nodded before going to the door.

“Goodbye Sheriff,” Sam said. 

“Oh, the morgue is in the basement of the hospital. It’s five miles across town; you’ll see signs for it.”

“Thank you.” He shook his hand before leaving the office. 

Dean was at the front talking to the deputy and giving her his awarding smile as he flirted with her. Sam cleared his throat making them look up at him. 

“Thanks for the help,” Dean told her running a finger over her hand. He picked up the folders lying beside him and made ready to leave. “I’ll see you around Donaldson.”

“Agent,” she replied, a hint of lust in her voice.

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother and trooped out behind him not surprised by his actions. But he wondered if there a hidden agenda behind it as he watched his brother’s body language change as soon as they were outside. He didn’t comment on it but instead said something else.

“The morgue is in the hospital in the basement. It’s across town about five miles.”

“Good, we’ll get it done and grab some dinner and a motel room.”

Dean didn’t say anything else when he cranked the Impala and headed for the hospital. He found the signs and followed them to the hospital and drove around to the back entrance. There was no need to go through the front since there should be an entrance for bodies being brought there. He found a parking spot at the end of the lot and stopped the car. They got out and headed for the door leading inside.

**spn**

When Dean pushed the swinging doors open, he was met with a blast of cold air. He shivered slightly and shook it off as he continued to the door labeled morgue. It was bright inside the large room that housed two stainless steel tables, two desks that butted against each other, filing cabinets, cabinets with glass fronts, and at the back wall where drawers lined it for the bodies to be stored. 

The brothers looked toward the door that opened and an older man dressed in scrubs and a lab coat stepped out.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“FBI, we’d like to see the bodies of the recent murder victims,” Dean told him flashing his badge.

“Does the Sheriff know you’re here?”

“Yes, we just left Sheriff Jeffries,” Sam told him.

“Okay then,” he shrugged walking to the drawers on the other side of the room and looking at the tags before pulling four of them out revealing four bodies covered with white sheets. “Here you go.”

“Could we get copies your reports for all of them too?” Sam requested waiting for the coroner to leave before stepping to the first tray and pulling the sheet down. He accepted gloves from his brother and slipped them on.

“Damn,” Dean muttered when he saw the huge chunks of flesh missing from the upper body. He lifted the sheet to see the rest of the body and saw huge bites on the thighs that went all the way to the bone that shown white against the torn, raw, bloodless flesh. He couldn’t help but wince at the sight of the ravaged body.

Sam leaned down closer to the young man’s body studying the torn flesh on the bicep. He frowned with what he saw and pulled his cell to take some photos. He lifted the bottom part of the sheet and saw more on his legs. He wanted to enlarge them so he could study them more closely.

Dean had already moved to another body and saw similar wounds and missing flesh. He looked at the other two victims not seeing much difference except for the amount of missing flesh from their bodies. He moved away when he saw they were not going to give him any additional information. 

“Here you go, my reports for each one,” the coroner told them holding out a folder for them.

Sam removed his gloves and accepted the folder. He pushed the last body back in place and closed the door knowing they were done.

“Thank you for your help,” Dean said.

“Hope you catch whatever is killing people before we have another one.”

“We are going to try,” Sam assured him. He hurried after his brother and breathed in huge breaths of fresh air once he was outside. He hated morgues because the odors seemed to cling to his clothes and skin long afterwards. All he wanted to do was get a motel room and get a long hot shower. After he settled in the passenger seat, Dean pulled out and headed back toward the outskirts of town where several motels and restaurants were located. They usually chose one near a place to eat so they could walk over to get takeout. 

As if Dean could read his mind, he said, “Figured we’d grab some food and a motel room so we can get started on this and see if we can determine what’s killing people.”

“Yeah, sound good.” Sam nodded. He was getting hungry since they hadn’t had lunch yet and rubbed his stomach as it grumbled. “Do we have enough money to get a halfway decent room this time with good Wi-Fi?”

“Yeah, got a new credit card we can use.”

“You know we could get a job once in a while to have some money instead of scamming.”

“I can’t help they send me a card,” Dean shrugged. 

Sam rolled his eyes and huffed at his brother’s remark. He didn’t like scamming credit cards, but they didn’t have other ways of getting money except poker or pool. He settled into the passenger seat and looked out the side window to see where Dean was taking them. He smiled to himself when he pulled into a nicer motel than what their Dad had used when they were younger. He started to get out when Dean handed him a credit card to pay for the room. Knowing he didn’t have a choice Sam accepted it and went inside to register. He noticed there was a diner and fast food place nearby to get food and several gas stations.

Sam stepped from the office and motioned Dean around the side of the building as he walked down to the end room and opened the door. Dean pulled into the parking spot and got out opening the back so they could get their bags. He went in and gave the room a quick once over taking the bed nearest the door before turning to Sam.

“Let me have the card and I’ll go over to the diner for food.”

“Alright, grilled chicken, salad and baked potato for me.”

“I know, rabbit food,” he grunted in disgust.

“You should try it.”

“No thank you. I’ll stop and grab a six pack too.”

“I’ll start on the files,” Sam said. He dropped them on the table and headed to the bathroom first as he heard the door close behind him. He finished in the bathroom and dropped into a seat at the table to open the first file and begin reading. He skimmed the four files first and then went back reading slower picking up details and taking notes. He continued to work until Dean came back with food and stacked the folders, pushing them aside. 

Dean let himself back into the room carrying bags of food and a six pack. He sat the bags on the table and divided the food before pulling two beers out sitting one at each place. After stepping into the bathroom and using it, he joined his brother at the table and began to eat his food, sipping his beer to wash it down. Neither brother made small talk as they ate their meal, an awkward silence between them. 

**spn**

Once their trash was cleared, Sam put the folders back on the table and they began going through them gleaning what information they could. Dean was looking at the autopsy reports and Sam was reading the interviews the police had done. He wasn’t finding anything in common really among the victims and frowned as he flipped back a few pages.

“Are you finding anything?” Sam finally broke the silence.

“They got ate,” Dean mumbled not raising his eyes from his reading. 

Sam shot him a bitch face and his brow furrowed with his snide remark. He cleared his throat and held his temper as he continued.

“I can’t find anything that links any of the victims together, they come from different walks of life, different jobs, different friends,” Sam huffed. “All that they have in common was they were all males, young and fit. One was taken from a parking lot, one when he was jogging, one on his way home from work and one from a bar….” Sam was saying as he picked up each file in turn.

“Dibs on the bar,” Dean suddenly said plucking the file from Sam’s hand. He jumped up and grabbed his jacket and keys as he hurried out the door.

Sam’s mouth was still open as the words he was about to say gurgled in his throat and came out as a growl. He smacked his hand down on the table and swore under his breath at his brother’s actions. He picked up the autopsy reports and opened the first one checking the tox reports and cause of death. They had not been drugged and had not fought back. He thought that was strange. He left it open and checked the other reports spreading them out in front of him. They read almost identical down to the bite marks. It was definitely one monster; he was sure of that.

Sam pulled his cell from his jacket and looked in his bag for a cord so he could download the photos to study them closer. He plugged his cell in and hit some keys and waited for the download. When the computer chimed it was done, Sam disconnected the cord and brought the photos up so he could enlarge them to get a better look. He flipped through each one slowly and pulled up a search engine to look at different supernatural monsters. 

He picked up his cell and started to speed dial a number but stopped himself before pressing send. He closed his eyes and fought back the tears that welled in his eyes. Even after all this time, he would catch himself starting to call Bobby for help or just to talk to him. He rubbed his tired eyes and willed the tears away. With Bobby gone, they didn’t really have anyone they could call for research or backup like Bobby had provided.

Deciding he needed to stretch his legs, Sam got up and headed to the vending machines at the end of rooms to get something to drink. He stood in front of the machine looking at the selection as his mind wandered. He was brought back to the present by a car honking its horn and shook his body to get out of his funk. He fed the machine his money and punched a button hearing the clinking and dropping of the bottle before reaching down to get it. He strolled back to the room and let himself back in. Sam opened the bottle and sipped on it as he walked back to the table and picked up his cell to see if Dean had called. He grunted and dropped it back on the table before sitting down at his laptop and pulling up a search engine. 

Sam started typing all that he knew about the killer and hit enter. He sat back sipping on his drink and watched the curser spin as the laptop began to process his request. He drummed his fingers on the table and wondered if he should try calling Dean to be sure he was okay. He picked his cell back up and thumbed through his contacts letting his finger hover over his brother’s name. 

With a long sigh, Sam put the cell back down and looked back to the screen when it stopped processing. He moved the curser to scroll slowly down the list of monsters that might be the culprit. He stopped on ghoul and read through the information thinking it sounded good, but the bite marks just didn’t match. Ghouls could shapeshift into anyone that they ate, and they didn’t waste their food like it seemed was done with the victims. They also drained the victims of their blood for consuming later. Werewolves were out since two of the victims died after the full moon and a pure blood would have eaten the heart and liver. A Kanontsistonties or the flying heads, devoured human bodies but they would have been seen since only two were alone when taken. A Rugaru would have been seen too by people especially with the victim disappearing from the bar. He was sure a Wendigo was out too. No way would they be in the town. 

Sam scrolled down and stopped to go back up to reread several sentences. He grabbed the autopsy reports and flipped through to find the notes on the internal organs. He read the screen again and looked back at the papers. This was it; he was sure of it. Lamia was a monster that would squeeze their victims' hearts and suck their blood. He pulled up the photos and enlarged them seeing what he needed. With that and the coroner’s report about the hearts on two victims seemed to have been smashed by a human hand. Lamia were shapeshifters so they could blend in with humans. They were stronger than humans, had claws, and could put humans in a trance to seduce them and have sex before eating them. Maybe that was why there were no defensive wounds and it showed why none of them fought back, Sam thought. The only way to kill one was with a silver knife that was blessed, or a mixture of rosemary and salt thrown on it and set on fire. He knew there was a knife in the trunk of the Impala that would work if he could find it. 

He needed to find his brother. No matter how he felt about him, Sam didn’t want Dean getting hurt. He grabbed his jacket and cell to dial his brother’s number as he ran from the motel room. He needed to call a cab and get to that bar. If the Lamia was out trolling for its next victim his brother could be in danger. Dean fit the profile and if he got caught off guard and put in a trance…Sam cussed when his call went to voicemail. “Call me! I know what we’re looking for, a Lamia.” He hung up and looked for a number for a taxi service. Sam paced in front of the office as he waited for the taxi and tried his brother again. His call went to voice mail again and he growled angrily. Sam’s only hope was the Lamia liked to play with her food before deciding to have her meal of the men she kidnapped.

**spn**

Dean climbed into the Impala and pulled from the motel parking lot. He absently rubbed at the place on his arm and tried not to think about it or what it meant. It was bad enough Sam wasn’t speaking to him and now he was having these thoughts and no one to talk with about them. He didn’t know if Sam was going to ever forgive him for what he did and he didn’t blame him, but how could he let Sam die. It wasn’t in him. He was supposed to look out for his brother and take care of him; it was ingrained in every cell of his body. It was his job, but now…He wasn’t sure what his job was.

He glanced at the paper in the file again and found the bar’s address. He headed across town thinking it was still a little early for the regular crowd to come in, but that just meant he could have a beer and check out the place and the people. He found a parking spot for the Impala that looked safe and locked her up before heading to the bar across the street. The bar wasn’t a dump, nor was it a high class joint. It was more for the working class wanting a drink after a hard day at work.

Dean paused in the doorway to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting, before giving the place a quick once over and moved to the bar to take a seat.

“What can I get ya?” the bartender asked slapping down a napkin in front of him.

“Give me a draft and shot of Jack,” Dean replied.

“You got it,” he nodded. He drew a mug of beer and sat it on the napkin. He turned and pulled a bottle of Jack Daniels from the shelf and poured a shot for him.

“Thanks,” Dean nodded. He looked down at the shot and ran a finger around the rim before picking it up and throwing it back in one quick motion. He grimaced feeling the burn down his throat and sipped on the beer to sooth it. He looked at the customers spread out across the room and didn’t notice anything out of sorts or any red flags. He nodded to the bartender for another shot and figured it wouldn’t hurt to have another. 

After nursing his beer as long as he could, Dean ordered another and checked the patrons again since it was quitting time and people were making their way in for a beer to unwind from the job. No one caught his attention and he settled back on the stool. He went over the case in his head and thought about the victims. His gut was telling him the monster was something that could shapeshift and thought it was a female that attacked them. He knew how males were and would willingly go with, stop to help or strike up a conversation with a good looking female. 

Dean pulled his cell out and looked at it seeing Sam was trying to call him. He clicked decline and slipped it back into his pocket not feeling like talking to him now. He saw the woman out of the corner of his eyes but didn’t let on he saw her. He picked up his beer and sipped it feeling her presence when she sat down beside him. She was beautiful with long dark hair that curled around her shoulders and luscious lips that were painted a deep red. Her dress was a deep crimson that hugged her body in all the right places. It was low cut in the front and back with thin straps holding it on. She had on four-inch heels that made her long legs look even longer. He couldn’t quite make out the color of her eyes when he glanced her way for a moment.

“Is this seat taken?” she asked in a rich, sultry voice.

“Nope, be my guest,” Dean said giving her a drop dead smile and motioned for her to sit. He motioned to the bartender. “What’s your poison?”

“I’ll have a glass of red wine,” she said to the bartender as she settled on the stool beside Dean crossing her legs, letting her dress sneak up her thigh exposing more skin.

“Another beer,” Dean ordered and place some bills on the bar for the drinks.

The bartender took the money and returned with his change before moving to help someone else. 

“Name’s Dean,” he said holding his beer bottle up to salute her.

“Tayla,” the women replied picking up her wine glass and nodding toward him before taking a sip. She cocked her head sideways giving him a once over before continuing. “Are you alone tonight Dean?” she asked leaning his way giving him a clear view of her cleavage.

“Yeah, new to town so don’t know anyone.” Dean could feel his cell vibrate in his pocket but ignored it. He let his eyes linger for a moment on her breast before looking back up at her gorgeous face.

“Well, now you know me,” she told him leaning closer to him arching an eyebrow. “Why don’t we finish our drinks and go someplace more private?” she asked running a finger up his arm.

“I could get down with that,” he agreed taking a large swig of beer. He watched her sip the wine and how she ran her tongue over her lips in a sexy, sultry way. His eyes roamed from her lips upward and stopped as she gazed deeply into his eyes. He didn’t see her lips moving as she whispered in a language he didn’t know, putting him in a trance and under her control. He had lost all his will to resist her now. His eyes lost focus, his mind stopped functioning and he became like the walking dead.

“Why don’t you finish your drink and we’ll go,” she told him watching as he automatically lifted the beer and finished it off. “That’s my boy, why don’t we find somewhere nice and quiet and we can continue our talk.”

Dean got up and allowed her to drape his arm around her and walked with her out of the bar. They walked down the street and turned the corner as a taxi stopped in front of the bar and Sam got out.

**spn**

After handing money to the taxi driver, Sam hurried into the bar and began to look around for his brother. When he didn’t see him at any of the tables, he headed for the bar and got the bartender’s attention.

“I’m looking for my brother. He’s a little shorter than me, light brown hair, had on a jeans jacket and would have been here for a couple of hours.”

“Don’t know…”

“He usually orders beer and Jack.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember now, you just missed him. He left probably fifteen minutes ago.”

“Was he alone?”

“No, some knock out chick was with him. He seemed to be taken with her like nothing else mattered. Tried to tell him he left his change, but it was like he didn’t hear a word I said,” the bartender told him holding up several bills to Sam.

“Thanks,” Sam replied taking the money and heading for the front door. Once he got outside, Sam started looking for the Impala. He didn’t see it on the street and spotted the parking lot across from the bar. He ran into traffic, dodging cars to get there. Sam saw the car finally and headed for it. He found the spare key and went to the trunk first, swapping out the clip in his gun for silver bullets and moved weapons around until he found the sheathed knife he wanted. 

His readings said the knife needed to be blessed, so Sam got out holy water and their Dad’s journal to quickly search for a blessing that he remembered reading a long time ago. He found the page and began to recite it as he poured the holy water over the blade. He finished the blessing with an amen and sheathed the blade before sticking it into the waistband of his jeans.

Sam unlocked the door and dropped into the driver’s seat. He pulled his cell out and pulled up the tracking program so he could type in Dean’s cell number. He waited for a moment until a red dot flashed on the screen and he saw he was only six blocks away. He cranked the car and pulled from the lot to head toward the location and prayed he was in time to save his brother. He was sure he had been taken by the Lamia. Sam kept a tight grip on his cell glancing at it, then back to the road and the traffic, trying to work his way through it without having an accident. Time was of the essence since he didn’t think the Lamia was a patient monster when it came to feeding. He pulled up to the building and got out looking around before heading for the door to break in. Dean was close and Sam quickened his steps.

**spn**

The Lamia kept a strong arm around Dean as she kept him moving down the street and away from prying eyes. They moved toward the less populated and rundown part of town where she had a lair in one of the abandoned buildings. It was private and she would be able to enjoy her meal in peace. Once they reached their destination, she unlocked the door allowing them entrance and moved him through the warehouse to the back and into a room she set up. There was a mattress with clean sheets sitting at the back of the room on an area rug, that was partly concealed by a folding screen. A small table and chair sat at the door and a rack of clothes stood on the other side. The Lamia had made the place comfortable for _her needs_ and not her victims. 

“I don’t think you’ll be needing this,” she told him pulling a gun from the back of his jeans and laying it on the small table. “Alright now, you just stay right here while I get comfortable and we’ll have a little fun,” she cooed to Dean going behind the screen to change out of her dress. Dean didn’t move a muscle as he started off into space not knowing what was planned for him. 

She was humming when she came out with red, silk robe tied loosely around her body and walked toward Dean. She ran her fingers up his arm and across his jaw to his lips and then brought her fingers to her mouth to taste his flavor. “Well, let’s see what’s on the menu. Why don’t you get rid of some of those clothes you have on and take them off nice and slow; I like to enjoy the show.”

Dean pulled his jacket off and let it fall to the floor. He slowly started to unbutton his long-sleeved shirt and slipped his arms from the sleeves. His tee shirt came off next, revealing his lean, muscular body. He bent over to untie the laces on his boots and toed them off. His jeans were unsnapped and unzipped and pushed slowly over his hips to fall down his legs. He stepped out of them and hooked his fingers in his brief to slip them off.

“Stop, let me look at you,” the Lamia told Dean as she walked around his body. “My, my, you are a handsome devil, aren’t you? I think I’m going to enjoy myself with you.” She lifted a hand and let one of her nails slowly grow until it was a sharp claw. With a quick flip of her wrist, she made a shallow cut into Dean’s chest and moved to lick the blood that seeped from it, purring in contentment. “Oh yes, you do taste good.” She ran a hand down his chest, over his abs and to his manhood, as she laughed heartily. “I think I’m going to enjoy myself immensely, before I dine on you.” The Lamia trailed her claw down his chest again, leaving a trail of blood and laughing heartily as she lapped it up, moving to kiss Dean’s lips, leaving traces of his own blood on his mouth.

Before she could continue, the door to the room was kicked open and Sam ran in quickly taking in the scene. The Lamia jerked around and hissed at him as he emptied his gun into her chest. He dropped the weapon and pulled the knife out as he moved toward her. The creature let out a high-pitched screech that send Sam to his knees, making him drop the knife and cover his ears trying to shut out the sound that was piercing his skull. 

The Lamia began to change and slithered to Sam before he could recover. She wrapped her snake’s tail around his legs holding him in place as she moved up his body. Sam tried to fight her off, but she captured his arms and held him down as she lowered her mouth filled with razor sharp teeth toward his exposed neck.

“Dean!” Sam yelled doing his best to buck her off. When the head got close enough, Sam threw his head forward and butted her as hard as he could making her scream with rage.

The trance that Dean was under broke when the Lamia was shot and he stumbled slightly, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. He looked down at his naked body trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Dean jerked his head up when he heard Sam crying out for help and then crying out in pain.

Without thinking, Dean ran for his brother, scooping up the knife he saw on the floor. He launched himself at the creature holding his brother down and drove the knife into her back with all his weight, giving it a hard twist to destroy the heart. He pulled the knife out, stabbing her again as his rage boiled and finally let the limp body drop. He tried to shove the lifeless body off his brother only to find the tail was still wrapped around his legs. Once he had it free, he crouched down by Sam to check him out.

“Sam are you hurt?” he asked seeing blood on his face.

“Head butted her,” Sam moaned bringing his hand up to gingerly touch his forehead feeling warm blood. “You’re naked dude.”

“You’ve got a gash, but it’s not bad.” Dean searched in Sam’s jacket pocket for his bandanna and pressed it to the wound taking Sam’s hand to hold it in place. “Let me get dressed and we’ll get out of here.”

“You’re bleeding too,” Sam told him when he saw the streaks of blood on his chest.

Dean stopped and looked down not even realizing it. “Just a scratch. Don’t even want to imagine what I’d look like if you hadn’t gotten here when you did.”

“Why didn’t you come back and get me if you were going to stake the bar out?”

“Wasn’t really expecting whatever that is to show up.”

“It’s a Lamia. In its true form they are part woman and part snake.”

“She sure didn’t look like any snake in the bar.”

“Shapeshifter.” Sam got slowly to his feet and waited as Dean got his clothes on so they could leave. “What about the body, can’t leave it here.”

“Guess we’ll have to take it somewhere and burn it,” Dean surmised. He went to the bed and stripped the sheet off to wrap the body. “Tell me you found my Baby and drove it here.”

“Waiting outside.”

“Good, grab an end and let’s get out of here. I need a hot shower to wash the creepy off.”

Sam reached down and took the feet, while Dean got the upper part. They carried the body to the Impala and put it in the trunk. Dean drove away from town until he found a secluded place to stop. They got the body out and doused it with gas before dropping a lit match on it. After making sure the fire wouldn’t spread, they headed back to the motel deciding to spend the night since it was paid for and head back to the bunker in the morning. Both brothers were silent on the ride there and remained that way all the way back to the bunker the next day. 

Dean didn’t know how much longer he was going to get the silent treatment from Sam. He kept out of his way, staying in his room wondering if this was the thing that broke their relationship for good.

**The End**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you for taking this journey with me. I hope you enjoy the hunt. Comments would be great. NC**

**=======================================**

K

The young woman watched from the shadows for her target. This was not something she wanted to do, nor would ever do if she were in control. Because she let her guard down one time, she was trapped now and had to obey the one who took her soul from her.

A man appeared coming from the club and headed into the parking lot. She became alert and her appearance shifted from a dark haired woman to a blonde one. She moved out of the shadows toward the man, letting him see her.

“Well, hello there little lady,” he greeted her. “It’s not a good idea for you to be along out here, wouldn’t want any harm to come to you.”

“Guess I’m not alone if I’m with you,” she said in a sultry voice as she moved closer. She batted her eye lashes and ran a finger down his arm letting him know she was interested.

“You sure are a pretty little thing, how come no one’s snatched you up?”

“Maybe I haven’t found the right person yet.”

The man wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer until she was against him. He rubbed a finger down her defined cheek bone and around to the back of her neck, gripping it where she couldn’t get away. He watched her expression stay neutral before lowering his head to kiss her.

She reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face trapping it there as her eyes suddenly glowed red and she forced the fire down his throat. He staggered back and tried to push her away as his eyes bulged and he slapped at her body. It only took a few moments before his lifeless body slid down by his car and small puffs of smoke escaped between his parted lips. The women looked down at him as tears filled her eyes and she changed back into the dark haired woman before quickly leaving before anyone saw her. She didn’t know how long she could keep this up before she was driven insane or her master grew tired of her. She ran away into the night, choking back the sobs that stuck in her throat.

**spn**

Sam looked up as his brother stepped from the bathroom towel drying his hair. “Hey, you up for another hunt?”

“Don’t see why not, the last one wasn’t that bad and neither of us got hurt, so it’s not like we can’t check another one out. What’d you find?”

“I found some strange deaths in a town about half a day from here, Pueblo, Colorado. If we leave early in the morning and switch out driving, we can be there by evening tomorrow.”

“Strange how?”

“One guy was scorched from the inside out and another guy had his chest ripped open and another had his throat slit. All died within two weeks of each other.”

“Was the heart missing?”

“No, he bled out from the injuries, but it doesn’t look like anything was eaten, taken, or blood drained from him.”

“So that cuts the killer pool down some. Alright, let’s get a good night’s sleep and we’ll head that way early in the morning,” Dean told his younger brother.

“I’m going to take a shower first,” Sam replied closing his laptop and going to his duffle to find sleep clothes.

“Fine by me.” Dean dropped onto his bed and turned on the television to see if he could find something to watch. He channel surfed until finding some reruns of Dr. Sexy, MD and settled to watch it. He’d never admit he was hooked on the soap opera and tried to watch it when he could.

**spn**

Sam came out of the bathroom an hour later to find Dean asleep and the television still playing. He dropped his clothes on his duffle and carefully slipped the remote from Dean’s hand making him grumble and turn over to his side. He turned off the set and went to his bed to slip between the sheets and settle down to sleep. He couldn’t seem to shake the funny feeling he had gotten as he read the articles about the unusual deaths. It was as if he should remember something but couldn’t bring it to light. He pushed the thoughts away and cleared his mind hoping to get a restful sleep this time not plagued with nightmares.

It felt like Sam had just gotten to sleep when Dean was shaking him awake and telling him to get dressed so they could leave. Sam lay there a moment and looked up at the ceiling as he willed his body to wake up. He was still tired but wouldn’t tell Dean that. He didn’t want him to worry any more than he was about him. He watched his brother moving around the room getting ready to leave and sighed before throwing back the covers to get up. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment to gather his thoughts and got up when Dean gave him the evil eye to get a move on. He looked to the window and saw it was still dark outside and was surprised Dean was up this early.

“Hurry up so we can get on the road,” Dean called to him as he stepped into the bathroom for his bag.

“Okay,” Sam said. He found clean clothes and when Dean stepped from the bathroom, he scooted in to get ready. When Sam came out, Dean wasn’t in the room. He knew he was waiting in the Impala for him and hurried to stuff his sleep clothes and bathroom bag in his duffle and loop his computer bag over his shoulder. Sam gave the room one quick look before heading outside and dropped his bags in the backseat before taking his place in the passenger seat.

Dean didn’t say anything, just gave him a knowing look with an arched eyebrow and cranked the Impala letting her roar for a moment before pulling from the parking lot. He headed for the main highway out of town to the interstate to head southwest toward Pueblo, Colorado. He went through a drive through and got coffees and breakfast sandwiches for them to eat on the drive.

Sam didn’t really want the greasy sandwich, but accepted it anyway knowing he needed to eat. He doctored his coffee and sipped it before unwrapping the sandwich to take a bite. He ate it slowly and washed it down with the coffee. It was an hour before the sun’s first rays spread out across the land, bringing light to the surrounding countryside. The sun was at their backs at least so they weren’t having to deal with the blinding glare of its rising.

Sam took over driving at the first gas stop and drove for the next four hours before having to stop for gas again and Dean took over driving the last leg. It was only a few hours later that he was on the outskirts of Pueblo. Since it was already late, he found a motel for them to stop at and use as a base. Sam got out and went into the office and got the room for three nights hoping it wouldn’t take longer than that. They would visit the locals and morgue in the morning and see if they could get more information that would tell them what they were hunting.

“You can have the bathroom first,” Sam told Dean as he sat his bags on the bed away from the door. He walked around the room stretching from the long drive as Dean dropped his bags and dug out his bathroom bag and some sleep clothes.

“Thanks,” Dean replied. He disappeared into the bathroom closing the door behind him. He dropped his clothes on the counter by the sink and leaned against it rolling his shoulders and neck to get the stiffness from them. He was tired, more mentally than physically, and shook his body before going through his routine to get ready for bed. Dean came out and found Sam pacing and stretching his arms and back. “Your turn.”

“Alright,” Sam grunted getting his things and heading into the bathroom. He did his nightly routine and changed clothes before going back into the other room. The television was on one of the Fast and Furious movies with the volume low. He climbed in bed and turned so he could see the screen to watch the movie hoping it would put him to sleep.

**spn**

_The waves lapped at his bare feet and he looked out over the ocean as a warm breeze blew in his face. Sam looked around and saw he was the only one on the beach and wondered where the other people had gone. A soft voice called to him and he looked for the source._

_“Help me please,” the female voice whispered to him._

_“Where are you?” Sam asked turning in a full circle trying to find the person who spoke. He looked one more time down the beach and saw a figure approaching him. Thinking this was who called to him, Sam began to walk toward her. He could tell it was a young woman around his age with long, flowing dark hair wearing cutoff jeans, tank top with a light long sleeved shirt over it. She was barefooted and the closer he got the better he could make out her features. She was slim and had a unique beauty about her._

_“Please I need your help, he’s making me do bad things and I can’t stop him,” she begged._

_Before Sam could get close enough to see her clearer, she turned and looked back down the beach. Fear was etched across her face when she looked back at him._

_“I didn’t want to kill them. Please set me free. He’s coming, I have to go.”_

_“Wait!” Sam cried out as he started to run toward her. “Wait! Come back!” he cried out again._

“Sammy! Wake up!” a familiar male voice urged loudly.

Sam jerked awake and looked around him to see where he was. Dean was by his bed with a worried look on his face.

“You were yelling out in your sleep bro. You were telling someone to wait and come back,” Dean said.

“Sorry, it was a dream,” Sam huffed wiping a hand down his face as he pictured the woman from his dream. It seemed so real to him. He knew he had never seen her before and couldn’t understand why he would be dreaming about her. Her words came back to him and confused him. Sam wasn’t sure what she meant by didn’t want to kill them and someone was making her do it.

“You sure you’re okay? Wanna talk about it?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t really remember it,” Sam lied. “Go on back to bed, I’m going to the bathroom and getting something to drink.”

“Alright, but if you wanna talk about it, I’m here.”

“Thanks Dean.” Sam got up and went into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror for a moment and thought he saw the image of the woman staring out at him. He rubbed his eyes and looked again but she was gone. He wasn’t sure what to make of what was going on with him or why it would be happening.

He turned on the cold water and splashed some on his face a couple of times before turning the water off and drying off. It was nowhere near time to get up, but he didn’t know if he could go back to sleep. Sam stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed a water that he had gotten earlier to sip on. He tried to find a logical reason behind what was happening but was coming up short. With a heavy sigh, he went back to bed and settled back down to try and sleep. He could feel Dean’s eyes on him and shrugged it off as him being too overprotective.

Dean looked at his brother through his slit eyes knowing he wasn’t telling him the truth. He had a feeling he did remember whatever the dream was and for some reason he didn’t want to talk about it. He watched Sam shift restlessly in bed before finally turning away from him and burying his head into the pillow. Dean decided if he was still acting weird later today, he would confront him and make him talk about it.

**spn**

“ _Please don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,”_ _a female voice whispered in Sam’s dream_.

It had taken nearly an hour before Sam had gotten back to sleep and he was at Bobby’s doing research when the voice he had heard before spoke to him. He jerked around looking for the source and saw the dark haired woman again standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

_“I don’t have much time before he comes back_ ,” she said quickly. _“I know you’re a hunter. You have to be careful. If he knows you’re looking into the deaths, he will make me harm you. Look into the victims’ business dealings. I must go now.”_

_“Wait, how can I help you?” Sam asked as the woman turned to leave._

_“You must retrieve my hoshi no tama from him. It is how he controls me. If it is destroyed it will destroy m_ e _also. Please, I need your help,”_ _she reply before vanishing._

Sam woke from the dream and threw back the covers not caring the time and went to his laptop. He booted it up and went online to see what he could find on _hoshi no tama_ since he didn’t know what it meant. He went to several search engines as he found different things, reading them all.

“What are you doing?” Dean asked in a grumpy voice. He sat up in bed to see Sam hunched over his laptop staring intently at the screen as he worried his lower lip between his teeth. He tapped on some keys but didn’t look up. When Sam didn’t answer him, he spoke again. “Sammy! What are you doing?” he asked louder getting Sam’s attention.

Sam startled with Dean’s loud voice and looked up wide eyed, like he was caught with his hand in a cookie jar. “I was just…” Sam stopped to clear his throat. “Just looking something up,” he finished dropping his head so Dean couldn’t see his face and know he was hiding something.

“And it couldn’t have waited until the sun was up?”

Sam looked to the curtained window and saw it was barely starting to get light outside. “Sorry, didn’t notice the time.”

“Might as well get up now that I’m awake.” Dean threw the covers off and sat up, swinging his legs off the bed. “Let’s change and get breakfast. Maybe the locals will be up by then and we can check the morgue out too.”

“Okay, yeah, I wanna see the bodies,” Sam agreed. He didn’t want to voice his thoughts until he was sure, but he thought he knew what the woman was now. He closed his laptop and got his suit out of the hanging bag to put on. He waited for Dean to use the bathroom first and then took his turn.

Dean grabbed the room key and the keys for the Impala off the dresser before heading for the door. He adjusted his jacket before getting into the driver’s seat and waited for Sam to settle in the passenger seat. He noticed he seemed preoccupied and could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure something out. Sam had been like this his whole life. He would mull over a problem and not let it go until he had it figured out.

“We’ll find a diner that’s opened and get some breakfast before going to see the local cops.” Dean looked over at Sam and saw slight creases on his forehead and a deep concentrated look in his eyes. “Sammy, is there something I need to know about?”

“What? Oh, no, it’s nothing. Breakfast sounds good,” Sam said.

Dean pinched is lips together into a thin line and didn’t say anything else to him. He found a diner that had a half full parking lot and pulled in choosing a spot near the back away from other vehicles. He didn’t want anyone dinging up his Baby. He got out and walked around the car to head for the diner, his brother falling in step with him.

**spn**

The building that housed the police department was similar to all the others they had visited over the years. It was on a side street away from the central congestion of the city. The building was brick and spread out on the lot. Dean found a visitor parking space and pulled the Impala into the space before killing the engine. He got out, straightened his tie and buttoned his suit jacket, before following Sam to the front doors.

They stepped in and let their eyes adjust to the different lightening before stepping to the female cop behind a counter that looked up at them as they approached.

“May I help you?” she asked politely.

“Yes, Agents Shaw and Wilson, FBI,” Dean greeted her as they flashed their badges. “We’d like to see the person in charge of the recent murders that’s happened here.”

The officer gave the badges a customary glance and looked at them again with a critical eye before picking up the phone and calling to the back. She spoke quietly and nodded before hanging up.

“The Captain will be out shortly. You can take a seat in the chairs over there,” she pointed.

The brothers stepped to the row of five chairs in front of a window and sat down. Sam picked up a magazine and thumbed through it as he glanced around. His leg started to bounce slowly as they waited and seemed to speed up when he thought about the female he has seen in his dreams. He jerked slightly when Dean laid a hand on his knee to stop the steady up and down motion. Sam gave a half apologetic smile and focused on it not happening again. They had to wait another fifteen minutes before a tall, well-muscled, older man dressed in a suit stepped through a door behind the desk.

“Good morning, Captain Savich, how may I help the FBI?”

“Agent Shaw and my partner Agent Wilson, Captain Savich. We’re here to look into the unusual murders that you’ve had lately in your town,” Dean told him.

“Why don’t you come with me and we’ll talk in my office,” Captain Savich replied. He led them through the door and to the back where desks were arranged around the room and to an office off to the side. He motioned them to two chairs that sat in front of his desk and moved to sit in the chair behind it. “So how is the FBI involved with our murders? I don’t know of anyone calling you in.”

“Someone called out boss’ boss, who in turn called our boss and we just go where they tell us,” Dean shrugged.

“What can you tell us about these murders Captain?” Sam asked wanting to move the conversation along.

“They were all males, forty to fifty years old. There was no attempt to hide the bodies and no eyewitnesses to any of the murders. We’ve checked surveillance cameras where there were but didn’t find anything unusual. The major thing is we can’t determine a murder weapon for the killings. The coroner doesn’t have a clue what could burn a person from the inside out and another looked like his chest was clawed open by some type of animal but there’s no animal I know of that could do that. The last was stabbed in the back, piercing his heart, but yet again we can’t determine the type of weapon used, unless it was homemade. The cuts were not ragged, but surgical like, and spaced evenly apart. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was a clawed hand. But that just sounds crazy.”

“Can we get copies of your reports to go over? It can be put on a flash drive if you like to save time and paper,” Sam said keeping his voice calm and steady.

“And where would the morgue be? We’d like to see the bodies,” Dean added.

“I can handle that,” he replied picking up his phone and calling out. “The morgue is in the basement of the hospital that’s six miles east of here on Blue Willow Drive.”

“If you want to wait out front Officer Conner will have those reports downloaded for you,” he said getting up to shake their hands. “You will keep me informed if you find anything agents?”

“Of course, Captain,” Sam nodded as he shook his hand. He had a strong, firm grip and seemed like a no nonsense type of cop.

Dean and Sam headed back to the front and waited for the flash drive with the reports. They were going to head to the hospital to the morgue to look at the bodies and see if anything stood out to them.

“What’s that huge brain telling you Sammy? I can hear the wheels turning from over there,” Dean questioned his brother when he saw that look on his face.

“I need to see the bodies first,” Sam mumbled as his mind flashed on what he had been reading earlier and found out.

“Alright, but then you are talking to me. I need to know what you know.”

“Yeah, okay.”

It didn’t take Dean long to find the hospital and drove around to the back to the entrance where the morgue was located. They got out and headed for the side door and followed the signs once inside to the morgue. The cold air and the smell hit them in the face as they pushed open a double door into the morgue.

It was typical of all the others they had visited over the years. Three steel tables sat in the middle of the room with hoses for water hanging over each one. There were drains at the end of the tables in the floor to allow the water to drain when a victim was washed and cleaned. One wall at the far end had drawers where the bodies were stored and filing cabinets and two desks sat against the opposite wall.

“May I help you?” a voice questioned from behind them.

Dean turned to see an older man in scrubs carrying several clipboards looking at them. “Yes, we’re with the FBI and would like to see the bodies of the recent murder victims.”

“Right, Captain Savich called and said you’d be stopping by,” he said laying the clipboards on a desk and walking across the room to the metal drawers. “Don’t know how much help it’ll be. I’ve not been able to determine what caused the deaths.”

“Could we get copies of your autopsy reports sir?” Sam asked politely.

“Yes, of course,” he replied pulling out three rolling metal trays that had sheet draped bodies on them. “I’ll go do that while you look at them.”

Dean looked around and grabbed gloves for them. He slipped on his before pulling down the sheet on the first body. He frowned as he studied the corpse. At first, he didn’t see any signs of trauma, but the skin didn’t look right and there was a rank smell about him.

“This is the one that was burned from the inside out,” Sam explained as he glanced at a tag.

“That’s what the smell reminds me of, burnt cooked meat,” Dean grimaced in disgust. He carefully took a finger and pushed the jaw down to look inside his mouth to see it black from charred flesh.

“His internal organs were roasted.”

“Nice picture, thanks,” Dean spat as his stomach rolled from the breakfast he had eaten.

“If you look at the body, it shows no signs of trauma, so how was it done?” Sam mumbled to himself.

Dean was done with this one and moved to the next. He uncovered the body and found another male with his chest ripped open. He leaned closer and could see claw marks in the torn flesh. They were sharp and deadly since it looked like they cut through bone too. This was no animal attack he was certain of that. It didn’t look like the flesh had been eaten, nor any of the organs. He moved aside as Sam took pictures of both bodies and went to the final one. He lifted the body enough to see the wound in the back directly over the heart. The Captain was right, it was precise and accurate and there was no hesitation in the blow. All it took was one strike and the guy had died.

“Well need to find out who these guys are and dig into their background,” Sam told him snapping a final photo. He remembered what the young woman in his dream said about looking into their past.

“Here you go agents. Hope this helps you catch the killer or killers,” the coroner said. He handed over a folder with his reports as Dean began to push the trays back into place and close the door to each. He snapped off the gloves and threw them away like Sam.

“Thank you for your help,” Sam nodded accepting the folder and heading for the door. He wanted to get back to the motel so he could start his research.

Dean shook hands with the man and hurried out after Sam wondering what he had seen or what he knew. His brother was going to start talking to him and letting him in on what he knew. They went back to the Impala and Dean drove them back to the motel and dropped Sam off. He was going to go pick up an early dinner for them so they could concentrate on the reports and see if they could find any leads.

**spn**

Sam was on his laptop going through the police reports and Dean was going through the autopsy reports across from him. Sam frowned as he searched for the link between the three victims and why someone would want them dead. He sipped on a drink as he read and researched the lives of the victims. He had been at it for nearly two hours and his eyes were scratchy and burning. Sam gently rubbed his eyes with a thumb and index finger when his vision blurred, and he couldn’t see.

“Finding anything Sammy?” Dean asked looking up at him when he sighed out tiredly.

“Not yet, but I’m not giving up. I know there’s something,” he insisted rolling his shoulders and taking a couple of cleansing breaths before leaning back toward the screen and tapping some keys.

“Why are you so sure there’s something there? What aren’t you telling me?”

Sam had the decency to look down as his face reddened slightly. He knew this was coming and was surprised Dean took this long to ask about it.

“Might as well tell me, I’m not letting you off the hook that easy.”

“Crap…” Sam mumbled but knew he was going to have to tell him.

Dean leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest with a determined look on his face as he waited for Sam to talk.

“She came to me in my dreams,” Sam finally said. He gave Dean a quick look before looking back down at the laptop.

“She?” Dean questioned. “Wanna explain yourself a little more?”

“I saw her in my dreams Dean, and no, she’s not someone I made up. She talked to me and asked for my help,” Sam told him.

“Help with what? Who is this person or is it a person? What can get into your dreams and talk to your subconscious?”

“A Kitsune.”

Dean stopped for a moment and frowned as he flipped through his memories of what that was. He had a vague memory of the name but couldn’t place it. “What makes you think that’s what it was?”

“She mentioned her hoshi no tama, which is her star ball. A Kitsune is a Japanese fox spirit that usually appears in human form,” Sam explained. “They are said to be magical, can change shape at will, can appear in a person’s dreams, warp reality, manipulate light, fire, electricity, any of the elements. She said her star ball had been taken. I read up on that and if a Kitsune’s star ball is stolen from them they can be controlled by that person. It’s sort of like their soul or life force. It would destroy her if the ball was destroyed. I think someone is using her to kill these people.”

“And you believe all this stuff?” Dean asked pushing back his chair and getting up to pace the room as he mulled over what Sam had said. He didn’t continue talking so he could process the information.

Sam turned back to his laptop as Dean paced and mumbled to himself. He read for another fifteen minutes before suddenly sitting up straight with an excited look on his face. “I think I found something.”

“What?”

“The three men and one other man created a club when they were seniors in high school and kept it going as they went off to college. It seems the three victims secretly pooled their ideas and left the fourth one out. They went on to make a lot of money with a patent and cut the fourth one out.”

“Which would give that guy a reason to want the others dead. And what better way than with a supernatural monster that couldn’t be traced back to him.”

“Bingo; give that man a cigar,” Sam said with a nod.

“Who is this fourth guy and where does he live?”

Sam typed for a moment and pulled up the information. “His name is Teddy Haskins and he lives a town over and works in a finance office. He’s barely getting by and living way beyond his means.”

“Guess we need to pay a visit to the Haskins guy.”

“We need to get the Kitsune’s star ball and give it back to her so she can have her life back. She told me if the ball is destroyed, she will die.”

“Let’s pack it up and head out. We’ll stake the guy’s place out and see when we can break in.”

“Alright,” Sam answered. He closed his laptop and packed it away before getting up to gather his things from around the room. He packed his duffle and accept his bathroom bag from Dean when he brought it out. He shouldered his bags and followed Dean out to the Impala to leave.

**spn**

The smaller town was quiet as the Impala slowly made its way through the town. Most of the businesses were closed except for some bars, restaurants, and Walmart. Haskins’ home was on the other side of town with only a few neighbors. Dean drove by the house and saw a light on inside the small house. He went down the road and turned around to come back by. He found a place to park that would let them see the house.

“We’ll wait until he leaves for work in the morning,” Dean told him.

“Do we chance that? What if he takes the star ball with him? It’ll be for nothing and I don’t want to wait around all day for him to come home,” Sam countered.

“Good point. Guess we’re doing a B & E tonight. We’ll wait until he’s asleep and go in.” Dean slumped back in the seat and got comfortable as he kept an eye on the house. “So, Sammy any idea if the Kitsune will be inside?”

“I don’t know. All I know is she wants free. She never wanted to kill those guys; Haskins made her do it to get his revenge on them for squeezing him out and not paying him.”

“Will we have a problem with her?”

“Don’t know, but if we can get the star ball away from him no.”

“Do you think you can, I don’t know. try and contact her? Maybe find out where the ball is so we’re not searching the whole house?”

“I can try, but I’ll probably have to be asleep to do it.”

“Fine, we’ve got time. Go to sleep and see what you can do.”

“Okay.” Sam got out and got in back to lay down hoping he could go to sleep. He tried to quiet his mind and push everything else out as he worked on relaxing his body. Even with all of this, it was nearly an hour before Sam drifted to sleep.

_Sam opened his eyes and looked around at his surroundings for a moment before walking down the beach. He looked for the young woman hoping she would come back to visit in his dreams._

_“Hello, can you hear me? I need to talk to you,” Sam spoke in his mind. He saw palm trees below him and then a figure stepped from around them and began to walk toward him. He quickened his pace to meet her knowing it was the same woman. “Hello,” he said when she was close enough to heard._

_“You are here,” she replied._

_“What do I call you?”_

_“Kasai, it means fire since that is my ability.”_

_“Kasai, can you tell me where your star ball is in the house?” Sam asked not sure how long she would be there._

_“There is a safe in the master bedroom behind a picture. That is all I know. He does not let me go in there, but I can feel it there. You must hurry before he makes me kill again or makes me…” she couldn’t finish her thought as he looked away from Sam._

_Sam looked at her and saw the pained, frightened expression on her face and how stiff she suddenly became. He could only imagine what she was thinking and what this guy might want her to do._

_“We’re going in tonight. Are you in there?”_

_“Yes, he makes me stay close, too close,” she cringed and shivered slightly._

_“Be ready. We’ll set you free.”_

_“I must go, I have been gone too long. He might notice and question me.”_

_“Alright, hopefully this ends tonight.” He watched her hurry away and disappear. Sam looked out across the ocean watching the waves build and head for shore where they broke at his feet. He stayed for a few minutes longer before willing himself to wake from_ _the sleep._

Dean looked over the seat when Sam began to stir in the back. Sam grunted as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his face. He noticed it was darker outside and wondered how long he had slept.

“Did you see her?” Dean asked.

“Yes, he keeps it in a safe in the master bedroom.”

“That’s just great, we’ll need to knock him out or something so I can crack it. I’m sure he’s not going to tell us the combination.”

“We couldn’t be that lucky. Is he still up?”

“Yeah.”

“What if we go in now? He’s not in the bedroom. You find the safe and I’ll see if I can find Kasai.”

“I’m game, maybe he’ll stay up late,” Dean agreed getting out and going to the trunk. He was getting impatient and didn’t see a problem with doing it now instead of waiting. They armed themselves and headed into the dark to circle around to the back of the house. They stayed in the shadows and were careful not to be seen. His neighbors were not close enough that they would see anything which was good.

Dean looked around the backyard deciding the best way to get inside and not alert Haskins. He checked for an alarm but didn’t find any signs of one. He let Sam pick the lock on a side door and slipped in first to find himself in a laundry room. They both froze when they heard movement in the next room as Haskins moved around in the kitchen. It wasn’t long before the light was turned off and he went back into the living room.

Dean let out the breath he was holding and looked over at his brother who nodded he was okay. He led Sam into the kitchen, and they moved to another doorway hearing a television deeper into the house. He headed the other way and down a hall looking for the bedrooms.

Dean used a small flashlight and carefully opened each door he came to, shining the light inside before moving on. On the third one he found the master bedroom and slipped inside. After a fast glance around, he headed for a painting on an inside wall and let the light play around it to be sure it didn’t have an alarm. With a gentle tug, it swung sideways revealing an older style wall safe with a dial.

Dean flexed his fingers and moved closer so he could hear the click of the mechanism as he slowly turned the dial, listened for the right sound that meant he found a number. He smirked to himself when he found the first number and began to turn it counterclockwise to find the next. He did this four more times until a small clink announced he had it unlocked. He was about to open it when light suddenly flooded the bedroom blinding him.

“What the hell? Who are you?” a male voice yelled at Dean.

Dean blinked his eyes and used a hand to wipe across them so he could see. He didn’t stop his other hand from opening the safe to reveal the contents.

“No!” Haskins screamed in rage as he started for Dean. He didn’t sense Sam running into the room until he collided with him and knocked him to the floor. They went down arms tangling with each other as Sam fought. “Fox! Stop him!” Haskins bellowed.

Kasai appeared in the doorway and saw Sam fighting with Haskins. She reached down and pulled him off throwing him to the side and into a dresser knocking the wind from him.

“Kill them both!” Haskins ordered loudly.

Dean was fumbling with the contents in the safe trying to find the star ball. He looked back to see a beautiful woman walking slowly toward Sam and Haskins getting up from the floor coming for him. He didn’t think about it, it was automatic as he swung a fist catching the man in the face and making him stumble backwards.

“No Kasai, fight it,” Sam cried out as she grabbed a hand full of jacket and picked him up from the floor. He could see the sorrow in her eyes and could feel the power she had. He was still stunned from being tossed and weakly fought her. She pulled him closer and downward so she could kiss him and release the fire. Sam jerked his head away remembering the victim in the morgue.

Dean could hear his brother struggling as he started throwing things from the safe. Finally, his hand found a small box and jerked it out turning to Kasai and Sam. “Stop!” he commanded.

Sam watched in horror as Kasai captured his head with her hand and prepared to kiss him. He could feel the heat coming from her mouth and just before she could touch his lips, he heard Dean shout, _‘Stop’._

“Release my brother.” Dean commanded. He had opened the box and let a small round orb fall into his hand. He could feel the power and instant warmness of the object and was surprised by how it made him feel.

“I am sorry, I didn’t want to do that,” Kasai told Sam as she stepped away from him to move to Dean. “I am yours to command,” she said bowing her head to him.

Dean looked at the Kitsune and saw her features change to a beautiful blonde. He was shocked to realize it was a woman he had dreamed about not too long ago. He had seen her photo in a magazine or something and he dreamed of them having sex. This was way weird, and he didn’t like it.

“Umm…Mind changing back to how you looked before?” he asked trying not to sound too awkward about it. He got a perplexed stare from Sam that he ignored. “You can have this back.” Dean held out his hand with the star ball laying in it.

Kasai looked down at the ball and up into Dean’s face for a moment before hesitatingly reaching for him. You could see the longing and desire in her eyes that filled with tears.

“No! That’s mine, she’s mine!” Haskins slurred as he tried to get up off the bed he fell onto.

Sam turned to him and delivered a hard blow knocking him back out.

The ball seemed to sing and glow softly as Kasai touched it and rubbed it down her cheek. She brushed her lips across the orb with such tenderness and it responded to her. She pulled on a cord that was around her neck and pulled a small purple pouch from under her shirt. Once the orb was put into the pouch, she pulled the string tight and let it slip back under her shirt.

Kasia turned to the brothers with a look of pure radiance that seemed to make her skin glow and she looked like an angel standing before them. She bowed to them with her hands clasped together as if in prayer before speaking.

“I am in your debt for freeing me and that is something my kind does not take lightly. If you should ever need my assistance, you only need to call to me, and I will hear.” She went to Dean first and touched his temple releasing a small spark into his mind. He flinched slightly with the small shock. She went to Sam and did the same before stepping back. “That will give you the means to call to me. Use it wisely for you each only have one chance to use it. I must go now.”

“What about Haskins?” Sam asked looking at the unconscious man.

“He will be dealt with,” she said. He voice was stern and powerful and neither brother doubted that he would get what he deserved.

“Goodbye and safe travels,” she told them before walking out the door and disappearing.

“That was…”

“Unusual, weird, freaky, unexpected, kind of sexy,” Sam supplied when Dean didn’t finish his sentence.

“Yeah, all of the above,” Dean answered. “Let’s get out of here before he comes to. I’m ready to get out of this town.”

“Right there with you.”

The brothers headed out of the house, using the front door and walked to the Impala. They didn’t know where they were heading or what their next hunt would be, but that didn’t matter. They were doing what they were trained to do, helping people, saving lives, the family business.

**The End**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: We have a two part story again. I hope you are enjoying the one shots and will continue to take this journey with me. I do like comments. NC**

**============================================**

**M**

**Part I**

“Why can’t I just drop Sammy off at Pastor Jim’s and join you?” Dean complained as he packed his bag.

“Because I’m counting on you to keep Sammy safe and look after him for me,” John replied.

“But you won’t have any backup.”

“I’ve got a hunter I know going to help. I’ll be fine Dean. This is one time I don’t want you boys coming with me. What I’m tracking is dangerous.”

“It’s the demon that killed Mom isn’t it?”

“Yes, and I want you boys as far away from it as I can keep you. You can stay with Pastor Jim for a while and if Bobby is not hunting and I’m not back you can go see him. You make sure Sammy trains every day. He needs to know how to defend himself.”

“I will Dad,” Dean pouted. He didn’t like being left behind but he wouldn’t go against his father’s orders.

“When is Sammy getting out of school today?”

“Lunch time. Since it’s his last day, they’re only going half a day. He’s going to be pissed you’re not saying goodbye.”

“You tell him for me. I need to get on the road. Here’s some money for gas and food while I’m gone. You boys behave and stay out of trouble. Pastor Jim is expecting you this afternoon, so no side trips along the way. Why don’t you look for a job in town to keep you busy?”

“Sure, wouldn’t hurt. I’ll call you when we get to Pastor Jim’s place, so you know we made it.” Dean gather up his duffle and his little brother’s. They had been staying in the apartment for the past month so Sam could finish out the school year without having to transfer again.

“You take care son and stay sharp. Don’t let your guard down for anyone or anything.”

“I won’t Dad. Be careful.”

John headed to his truck and got in as Dean watched from beside the Impala. He sighed heavily as John drove away and threw their bags in the back. It was almost time to pick Sammy up from school and face his wrath at being the last to know they were moving again. He cranked up the car and pulled from the apartment complex to head for the middle school and get in line with the rest of the parents picking their kids up.

**spn**

Sam walked from the school happy it was the last day and sad at the same time. He liked school, but he didn’t like shifting from one school to another and always being the new kids all the time. He was happy his Dad had decided to stay so he could finish out this year since there was less than a month of school left.

Sam searched down the line of cars looking for the black Impala, his brother’s pride and joy. He was never one for cars and mechanics like their father and his brother. Once he spotted it, Sam made his way down the sidewalk toward it and got in the front seat.

“He tossed his backpack in the back seat and saw their duffels back there. “What’s going on Dean? Why are our things in the back seat?”

“We’re going to stay with Pastor Jim for a while and maybe Bobby later on,” Dean replied pulling out of line and heading for the exit. He wanted to get on the road so they could get to Blue Earth before dinner.

Another move, Sam thought. He wondered where their Dad was going this time and why he didn’t drag them along like he usually did. He was glad in a way. He liked Pastor Jim and had stayed with him several times when growing up.

“Where’s Dad going?”

“Didn’t say.”

“I’m glad he didn’t take us,” Sam mumbled looking out the window without saying anything else.

“You want me to run by a fast food joint and get you something to eat?” Dean asked as he pulled into traffic.

“I guess, most of them have salads now or grilled chicken sandwiches.”

“One of these days you’re going to turn into a rabbit Sammy. You need to eat some meat and potatoes and put some weight on. You’re skinny as a rail.”

“Screw you, I think eating healthy is good for you.”

“Whatever,” Dean grunted. There were several places heading out of town he could choose from and he planned on getting a burger and shake. He looked over at his little brother and saw the stiffness of his body and the frown on his face. He hated the teenage years because Sam had changed into a totally different person. His moodiness and arguing was getting old but he hoped now that he was out of school and they were going to be staying in one place for a few weeks at least or more, he thought maybe he would lighten up some.

Dean pulled into a fast food place and got in the drive through lane. There were only two cars ahead of them so it wouldn’t take long to get their food and get back on the road again. He looked over at Sam and could tell he was mulling things over in his head. He swore Sam had a computer for a brain with the way he thought things out and worked on solving problems.

“What do you want?” Dean asked moving the Impala forward slightly when the car in front moved.

Sam brought his focus back on Dean and blinked a couple of times as he processed what he said. “I’ll have a pecan salad, ranch dressing, crackers, and water to drink.”

“That’s it?” Dean asked wondering how he survived on this.

“Yes.”

“Suit yourself.” Dean pulled up to the speaker and waited for the attendant to speak and take their order. He got a double cheeseburger, fries and large root beer and ordered what Sam wanted. Once the order was confirmed, he moved on around the side to the window to pay and wait for their food. He settled his drink between his legs and sat the bags between them so he could pull away and get back out on the road again.

Sam opened the bags and dug around pulling out his salad, fork and dressing. He got Dean’s burger out and opened it for him so he could take it. He folded the bag down and dumped the fries on it for him so he could easily get to them. Dean bit into his burger and nodded his thanks as Sam settled down opening the bowl of salad. He squeezed the dressing over it and mixed it with the fork before starting to eat it. It still bothered him that they were moving again and that their Dad didn’t tell him goodbye or anything. What if he didn’t come back? Sam knew they were butting heads more as he got older and he expressed his desires openly now.

**spn**

The life of a hunter was not what he wanted to do the rest of his life. He wanted to do something more with his. He wanted to be normal, have things other kids had and did. His Dad couldn’t see past his need for revenge to see why he was so defiant and upset all the time. Sam liked school and he wanted to finish, and if some miracle happened go to college. He worked hard on making good grades no matter how many schools he ended up attending in a school year. He never gave up.

Dean was munching on fries and sipping his drink as he let his fingers tap along with the beat of the music that was playing from the radio. He was never one for chick flick moments, but he knew something was bothering his brother. He glanced sideways at him and watched as he slowly ate his salad automatically. His eyes were out of focus and had a faraway look in them and there was the shadow of sadness on his face.

It was hard to see him like this and wasn’t sure how to snap him out of it. He had raised his brothers since he was six months old and knew him better than he knew himself. He could always tell when he was hurting, mentally or physically. His little brother was a complex, intricate, highly intelligent, multifaceted individual who wore his heart on his sleeve. He wasn’t like Dean when it came to emotions. Dean had learned a long time ago to stow them deep down in the depths of his mind and not let anyone see them. He was the perfect solider and hunting was in his blood. It was like he was born to have this life.

After finishing their meal, Sam gathered the trash into a bag and sat it in the wheel well to dispose of when they stopped for gas. Now that he was full, still and the sun warming him, he let the steady motion of the car lull him into a light doze. His head fell against the side window and he curled in on himself as his dreams took him away to a place where he found peace and the life he wanted. His body was limp, and his mouth hung open as he huffed small breaths in sleep.

Dean looked over at him when he snorted softly and saw he was sacked out asleep. He couldn’t blame him; it was warm in the car and he rolled his window down to let in some cooler air. The breeze felt good on his face as it blew in the window cooling the inside of the car somewhat.

Traffic was moving at a steady pace and Dean took advantage of it and pressed on the gas a little harder, smiling as his Baby growled louder and picked up speed. He squirmed around in the seat and settled down again as he fell in behind several SUVs. He stayed there until he needed to get gas and signaled his intentions as he moved over two lanes when he saw signs for gas that would suit his needs. He slowed as he took the exit ramp and stopped at the top looking both ways before turning right.

“Ar’ w’ th’r?” Sam slurred and scooted up in the passenger seat to look around.

“Nope, pit stop,” Dean replied pulling up to the pump and stopping. “Hit the head and when I get in there, we’ll get something to drink.”

“’kay,” Sam yawned. He opened the car door and climbed out to head for the front doors.

Dean watched him over the top of the car for a moment before turning to the pump and inserting a credit card. He removed the nozzle and went to the back to flip down the license plate to remove the cap and fill the Impala. Once he was done, Dean moved the car to a space at the front of the store. He got out and went inside looking for his brother first. When he saw Sam standing at the drink section, Dean headed for the restroom. He had already scoped the place out and didn’t see any danger. He knew Sam could take care of himself, but still always made sure he was okay.

Sam was waiting at the front with a drink and nuts when Dean stepped from the restroom. He went by the drinks and grabbed a soda and added a bag of peanut M&Ms before stopping by him. Sam sat his items on the counter with Dean’s so he could pay for it. They headed back out and got in the Impala to get back on the road.

“How much farther?” Sam asked once he was settled.

“About a hour,” Dean replied opening his soda and taking a sip.

“Can I ask you something?” Sam asked quietly.

“Sure Sammy, what?”

“Why didn’t Dad tell me he was leaving?” Sam questioned. “He didn’t even tell me goodbye.”

Dean glanced at Sam and saw the miserable look on his face and picked his words carefully. “He had to leave before you got out of school. He was meeting up with another hunter and didn’t want to keep him waiting. Dad said to tell you goodbye and to not be a pain in the ass while he’s gone.”

Sam threw Dean a bitch face when he saw him smirk at the last part and spat at him, “Jerk.”

“Bitch,” Dean shot back at him. “I’m in charge while Dad is gone, and you’ll do as I say.”

“You can think that,” Sam replied. “I’ll do what I want, I’m fourteen now, I’m not a kid.”

“But you’re acting like it now, so just rein it in.” Dean stated his voice getting stern.

Sam clamped his mouth shut and crossed his arms over his chest as he pouted. His face was clouded with anger and spitefulness as he watched out the window at the landscape speeding by him. He was pissed at Dean for treating him like a kid. He hoped to have another growth spurt and catch up with him. He hated being smaller and being told what to do. Sam remained quiet and sulking the rest of the way to Blue Earth.

**spn**

Dean drove the Impala slowly past the church and to the house that set nearby. He pulled to a stop and shut the engine off. It wasn’t dark yet but dusk was falling.

“Get your things,” Dean told him grabbing his duffle and weapon’s bag from the back. He didn’t wait or check to see if Sam was doing what he asked. He went to the door and knocked, waiting for Pastor Jim to answer. Noises could be heard behind the door before it was finally opened.

“Dean! It’s good to see you,” he greeted him shaking his hand. “Where’s your brother?”

“Pouting and being a pain in the…” he stopped before he finished the sentence. “Sammy! Get in here,” Dean yelled over his shoulder.

Sam got his backpack and duffle from the backseat and trudged toward the front porch with a sour look on his face. He gave Dean his best bitch face before turning to Pastor Jim to greet him. “Hello Pastor,” he mumbled.

“Samuel, it is good to see you. You’ve grown so much since the last time we met. Well, come on in both of you, you must be tired after the long drive. I’ve got the spare bedroom made up and ready for you.”

“Thanks, I think I’ll stay up for a bit and let myself unwind a bit,” Dean told him. “I’ll put my bags in the bedroom.”

Sam didn’t say anything as he followed his brother and left his bags in the bedroom with the twin beds. As always, he took the bed away from the door and looked around the room for a moment before following Dean back to the living room where Pastor Jim was watching the television.

“Have a seat boys, I was just watching a little television before turning in. Guess you could call it my guilty pleasure. I do like to watch a few of the police shows and a couple of comedies.”

“I’m…Mmmm…I’m going to walk around outside before it gets dark,” Sam spoke up heading for the door.

“Don’t go too far Samuel,” Pastor Jim warned him.

“I won’t,” Sam said casting his gaze at Dean before closing the door behind him.

“Wanna tell me what’s going on?” Pastor Jim asked Dean.

“I think he’s pissed at Dad for not telling him about coming here or telling him goodbye. He’s mad at me because he thinks I treat him like a kid.”

“Well, do you?” Jim asked before continuing. “Sam is growing up and wants to be treated like an adult even if he’s not yet. With the life you boys have grown up in, you’re much wiser than your years. Go easy on him Dean. He’s trying to find his place in your family.”

“Yeah, okay. I thought I’d go into town tomorrow and see if any of the garages need some part time help while we’re here. It’ll give me something to do since I can’t hunt, and I can’t sit around doing nothing.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll have Samuel help me out around here to keep him busy. He can help me in my garden and in the church.”

“That’s a good idea. Maybe it’ll keep him out of trouble.”

**spn**

Once Sam was outside, he looked around and wandered toward the small country church. It was still light enough to see and he smiled when he saw the lights starting to rise from the grass. The lightening bugs were coming out for the night and began to fly around him. He stood still and held his arms out watching as some moved around him lighting on them and blinking rapidly. They tickled as the bugs crawled across his bare arms before flying away. He waited a few more minutes before moving on toward the wooden structure. He walked around behind the church and to the edge of the forest that butted up behind it.

The night animals and insects were coming out and Sam could hear them moving around in the darkness of the forest. There were some he recognized and others he didn’t know. He looked back toward the house seeing the dim lights coming from the windows shining like a beacon as the light faded away. Sam turned back to the dark forest when a foreign noise caught his attention. He stiffened and frowned as he strained to hear it again. It was not a forest noise and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. His heart began to beat faster and his breathing quickened. Sam backed slowly away from the trees and walked faster toward the house and the light, glancing over his shoulder as he did. Sam stepped back inside and moved to the archway that led into the living room. He saw Pastor Jim and Dean turn to look at him and did his best at hiding the uneasiness he was feeling.

“I’m going to bed,” Sam said quickly.

“Alright Samuel, I’ll see you in the morning,” Jim told him.

“I’ll be in shortly,” Dean told him but didn’t get a reply from him as he headed down the hall.

“Is something wrong with him?” Pastor Jim asked quietly.

“Don’t know, I’ll find out.”

Sam got his bathroom bag and went across the hall to the bathroom to brush his teeth and do his nightly routine before changing into sleep clothes. He was still pondering what he heard trying to figure out what it might be. He went back into the bedroom and turned on a fan sitting on the dresser to stir the air. He changed before slipping under the covers to settle down.

He really wasn’t sleepy since he napped on the way there, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from growing heavy and was almost asleep when Dean came into the room. He looked at him through slits and watched him get his bathroom bag and disappear from the room. His eyes closed and he listened when Dean came back and heard his movements before the squeaking of the other twin bed told him Dean had gone to bed. The hum of the fan pulled him under, and he drifted into the realm of dreams and darkness.

**spn**

“Hey dude, wake up, breakfast is ready,” Dean told his brother as he pulled the blanket from his body making him curl up into a ball.

“Go away,” Sam muttered slapping at Dean with his hand.

“Get up,” Dean said hitting his leg, his voice having a little more authority to it this time. “After you eat, you’re to help Pastor Jim while I go into town to look for a job.”

Sam woke up more and remembered where he was now. He looked up at his older brother towering over him a frown on his face. “I’m awake, I’ll be out in a moment.”

“You do what Pastor Jim tells you today,” Dean ordered him. “You need anything from town?” he asked in a softer, brotherly voice.

“Maybe a crossword puzzle book,” Sam suggested hearing his tone change and knew he wasn’t still mad at him.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can find,” Dean nodded. “Now get a move on, Pastor Jim is waiting for you.”

“Alright,” Sam huffed pushing himself from the bed and getting up.

“I’ll see you around lunchtime.” Dean turned and left the room leaving Sam alone to get ready.

Sam rummaged around in his duffle for shorts, tee shirt and socks. He changed clothes and looked around for his sneakers to put on. He found Pastor Jim in the kitchen looking at the paper and drinking coffee and saw a plate on the table waiting on him. He had heard the Impala leave a few minutes ago.

“Good morning Samuel, I hope you slept good,” Pastor Jim greeted him with a smile.

“It was okay. Dean said I was to help you today,” Sam said slipping into a chair at the table. He picked up a fork and started eating.

“If you want to Samuel, no pressure.”

“I’d like to.”

“Good! Finish your breakfast and we’ll get started then.”

Sam nodded giving him a small smile as he continued to eat. It didn’t take him long to finish and he washed it down with the rest of his milk. He took his dishes to the sink to rinse off before turning to Jim.

“I’m ready when you are.”

“Alright!” Jim said getting up from the table. “I thought we’d start in the church and get it cleaned for services on Sunday.”

“Yes sir,” Sam replied. He followed Jim out the front door and walked across the yard and down a small hill to the church. He had always liked the church building and its warm, comforting feeling it gave him. It was old and weathered, but it served as a meeting place for the flock that Pastor Jim ministered to. There were anywhere from thirty to fifty people who came to the church on Sunday for his service.

“You can help me in the clothes closet too. It does need straightening up some and organization.”

“I can do that,” Sam nodded walking with him into the church and pausing at the back as he took it in. It was simple and humble. The raised pulpit was wooden and the altar at the back had a handmade cross that was polished to a shiny glow. The wooden cross was light colored and there were candles on either side of it that could be lit. The windows were tall and let in the natural sunlight bathing the place in a holy like radiance.

“There’s a broom and dustpan in the closet there Samuel. You can sweep while I start polishing the wood.”

“Alright.” Sam went to a small closet and found the items he needed. He started on one side and began to sweep down each row to the end. He replaced song books and Bibles into the holders on the back of the pews as he went. Sam looked up when he heard humming and watched Pastor Jim cleaning the altar and cross. He didn’t recognize the song but knew it was a hymn. He continued to sweep, making small piles in the center aisle so he could go down it and sweep up the dust and dirt. He took it outside and dumped it over to the side of building out of the way.

With the sweeping done, Sam put the broom and dustpan back and found cleaning rags and a can of polish. He started at the last pew and after spraying the rag began to go over the seat and back in long strokes watching the wood take on a luster of its own. He started humming under his breath, not realizing he was even doing it.

It was several hours later that Sam was brought out of his thoughts when Pastor Jim spoke to him.

“You did a great job Samuel, thank you so much.”

“It was fun.”

“You can take the rest of the day off and tomorrow, what’s say we work in the garden?”

“I’d like that,” he eagerly replied.

“It does feel good to get your hands dirty and get back to nature.”

“Yeah, I’m going to take a walk around, if that’s okay.”

“Just don’t go too far and be careful Samuel. We’ll be having lunch soon.”

“I will and okay.”

Sam headed back behind the church and walked along the edge of forest. He found what looked like a trail leading back into the trees. He didn’t hesitate as he stepped onto the path and started to follow it deeper into the woods. It wove around trees and looked like a game trail to him.

The noises of the daytime creatures echoed around him as the church disappeared behind him. He looked up at the towering trees around him and took in all the color that surrounded him. He spotted small bunches of blooming flowers dotting the forest floor and could hear animals scampering around overhead. He slowed when what looked like a building loomed up ahead of him. Sam looked around for anyone in the area before carefully making his way toward it.

The small cabin looked like it had been there for a long time. The windows were empty except for vines snaking in and out of them. The door stood ajar and hanging on one hinge, gaping open like an open mouth. Shingles were missing from the roof and the chimney had huge chunks missing from it and was barely standing. The front porch had rotten boards and one step was missing to it.

Sam moved closer as he eyed it, wondering who had built it out here in the middle of nowhere. He wasn’t sure who owned the property out here and thought it might be something he could investigate. Being careful of the rotten wood, he stepped up on the porch to try and see inside. What he could see looked like the place was trashed with broken furniture, dirt, spider webs, leaves and other debris.

He looked through the door, craning his neck to get a better view. He took a step into the doorway, testing the floor with each step. He whirled around when what sounded like the cry of a kid sounded behind him. He looked out a window but didn’t see anyone outside nor in the cabin. The soft cry came from outside again making him turn toward the door.

“Hello,” he called. “Is anyone there?” Sam stepped back to the door and stepped out not watching where he was going and pitched forward when his foot went through the porch. “Damnit!” Sam cussed feeling something dig into his calf. He sat back on his butt and looked down at his trapped foot. He reached to break off broken wood and ease his foot out. He saw blood on the side of his calf. A splinter of wood was sticking out where it had gone into the flesh. He grimaced and gripped the splinter to ease it out checking the bloody wound. It wasn’t deep and was going to be hard to hide from Dean. He could already hear him bitching about it and turning into the mother hen he always did when he got hurt.

When Sam didn’t see or hear any one besides him around the place, he took off his sock and tied it around his calf before getting up to head back to Pastor Jim’s place. His stomach growled, complaining about not being fed and walked a little faster, limping slightly.

He broke through the trees and looked toward the house to see the black Impala sitting in front of it. Sam’s shoulder’s slumped when his hopes of doctoring his leg before Dean got home. He headed on to the house hoping to sneak in and by Dean before he saw him.

The door eased open and he peeked inside but didn’t hear his brother. Sam moved into the house and looked toward the living room but didn’t see anyone. He ducked around the corner and down the hall. He had thought he was home free until Dean stepped from the bathroom making him falter in his steps.

“What’s going on Sammy?” Dean asked letting his gaze roam up and down his body and going back down to his leg where the sock was tied.

“Nothing…” Sam mumbled keeping his gaze on the floor. 

“Nothing doesn’t usually entail blood,” Dean huffed. “Go on in the bedroom and I’ll get the first aid kit.”

Sam only nodded his response and shuffled into the bedroom to sit on his bed. Dean came back with towels, first aid kit and peroxide and sat it down beside him.

“Lay on your stomach,” Dean instructed him.

Sam rolled over and laid his head on his arms without arguing. He could feel Dean lifting his leg and putting a towel under it. The sock was removed, and he heard Dean say a few choice words under his breath. Sam could feel his fingers probing the area and couldn’t help but hiss when pain radiated up his leg.

“What have you been doing Sammy? It looks like slivers of wood are still in the wound.”

“I fell,” Sam grunted through his clenched teeth.

“I’ve got to get these out and it’s gonna hurt.” Dean opened the peroxide and poured some over the wound to clean it. As it bubbled up, he slipped on latex gloves and opened the first aid kit. He ripped open gauze and used it to pat the gouge. After finding the tweezers, Dean leaned closer but sat back up and went to his pack to get a flashlight. With the light shining on the spot, he began to pick the tiny pieces of wood from wound. Dean could see Sam’s muscles in his calf tighten and his leg twitch when he had to dig a few of the deeper ones out. The wound bleed freely when he got the last one out and poured more peroxide over it to clean it. “Doesn’t need stitches, but I’ll put a butterfly over the worse part.”

“Okay,” Sam mumbled into the bed as he lay still for Dean to finish up.

“Done,” Dean announced snapping off his gloves and tossing them in a trash can. “Now wanna tell me what happened?”

“I was exploring and fell,” Sam replied rolling over and sitting up.

“You were lucky, at least it wasn’t metal ‘cause then you’d have to have a tetanus shot.”

“Thanks,” Sam said easing off the bed to put his weight on his leg. It hurt, but he could handle it.

“Think you can be a little more careful Sammy? We’ve not even been here a day and you’re already getting hurt.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I got some subs for lunch, let’s go eat,” Dean told him. He could have come down hard on him but didn’t think it was what he needed.

“Alright, I am hungry.”

Dean slung an arm around his shoulders and chuckled softly to himself. “Pastor Jim said you were a big help to him today.”

“I didn’t do much, just swept and wiped down the pews.”

They headed for the kitchen where Pastor Jim was already sitting at the table eating a sub. The brothers sat down, and Dean pulled out more subs and handed Sam one. There were already root beers sitting on the table for them and Sam opened his to take a sip.

“Is everything okay Samuel?” Pastor Jim asked. He saw Sam was limping slightly and saw part of a bandage on his calf.

“Yeah, just fell and scratched my leg is all,” Sam shrugged. He didn’t want to tell them what he had found or was doing or what he thought he had heard. This was something he was going to figure out on his own.

“So, did you have any luck finding a job Dean?” Pastor Jim asked when he saw Sam wasn’t going to say anything else.

“I did. Found a garage I can work out part time four days a week. If the boss likes me, he might give me more hours. It’s from 8 in the morning to 1in the afternoon.”

“Good for you!” he praised. “I’m sure you won’t have any problems getting extra hours when they see how experienced you are.”

“I start tomorrow.”

“That’s great Dean,” Sam congratulated him.

“Thanks bro. Wanna do something this afternoon?”

“I’d like to go to the library and get some books,” Sam answered cautiously waiting for Dean to tease him.

“Sure, we can do that. I need to pick up a few things anyway. We’ll go after we finish eating. Anything you need Pastor Jim? Or do you want to come with us?”

“I do need to pick up a few things if you don’t mind me tagging alone.”

“Of course not. Maybe we’ll stop for milkshakes on the way back.”

“Now you’re talking,” Pastor Jim readily agreed.

**spn**

It was mid- afternoon as the Impala pulled into the small town of Blue Earth and drove to the library. Dean pulled to the front of the building and looked back at Sam in the backseat before speaking.

“You stay in the library and I’ll call you when we get back,” he told him.

“Alright. Take your time,” Sam replied before opening the door to get out.

Dean stayed there and watched as Sam walked up the sidewalk and went into the front doors of the building. He didn’t like leaving Sam alone, but the place was public, and it was daytime. He didn’t think he could get into any trouble in there and didn’t think anyone would mess with him either.

Sam looked around as he stepped into the large room that served as the main room for the library. It wasn’t as big as some he had been in, but it was a decent size. He was going to see if he could find out anything about the property behind the church and about the cabin he had found in the woods. He looked around until he found computers that you could use and took a seat at one.

After reading the instructions, Sam turned it on and waited for it to boot up. He logged on and went online and began searching for the history of the church and the property. He pulled out a legal pad out of his backpack to take notes when he found articles worth reading.

When Sam couldn’t find anything else online, he went to the front desk and asked the librarian if they had any books on the history of the town and the church. She directed him to the section on local history and he found half a dozen books that seemed interesting.

Sam went to the desk to fill out the paperwork for a library card and checked the books out. He put them in his backpack and went to find something to read until Dean came back. He was treating this like a hunt and wanted to gather all the research he could and try to figure out what he had heard in the woods at the cabin. He planned on going back to it and check it out again in a couple of days.

When Sam’s cell buzzed, he answered it in a quiet voice sure it was Dean and he was waiting out front for him. He gathered up his pack and put the book back he was reading before heading out the door. He climbed into the back and settled as Dean pulled away telling him they were going by the diner to get milkshakes or whatever everyone wanted. Sam wasn’t really listening as he thought when they got back to Pastor Jim’s, he would take a couple of books and head into the backyard. He could sit under one of the shade trees out there to read and enjoy the fresh air. He was anxious to find out if there was anything weird about the forest behind the church.


	17. Chapter 17

**M**

**Part II**

“Okay we’re going to plant some tomato plants, squash, cucumber, beans, potatoes, carrots and corn,” Pastor Jim explained to Sam as they stood at the end of the garden plot. “I’ll show you how to do the first one and you can get the others done. You dig a hole deep enough that the stem of the tomato plant is to the first leaves. Put some fertilizer in and mix it with dirt and add a little water,” he showed him kneeling to dig the hole. “Put in the plant and hold it while you fill the hole in. Water it, but don’t wash away the soil around it. The last step is to put the tomato cage over the plant so it will hold it as it grows. Leave about two feet between plants to give them room to grow. While you plant these, I am going to take the tiller and make rows for the other things we’re going to plant.”

“Alright, I can do that,” Sam nodded taking the spade and kneeling a few feet away from the first plant. He started digging the hole and copying what Jim had done. He had over a dozen plants to put in the ground before moving on to something else.

After going to refill the water container ten times, Sam finished with the last plant. He stood and brushed off his knees and stretched his back before looking down the row, satisfied with what he had done. Sam moved to the stack of tomato cages and pulled them apart so he could put one over each plant. 

“You did a very good job Samuel.”

“What are you going to do with all the vegetables you grow?”

“Well, I freeze some for the winter and give away what I don’t need to the homeless shelter and food bank in town. It’s hard for them to get fresh produce and I try to help where I can.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Sam noted.

“I have the row for potatoes ready if you want to start there next.”

“Alright, what do I do?”

Pastor Jim picked up the bucket that had the cutup potatoes and walked to the last row he plowed. “You plant these with the eyes up so they can grow. Cover them with dirt and leave about a foot between each one.”

“Okay,” Sam said. He took the bucket and pulled a piece of potato out looking at it before sitting it in the row and covering it up. He worked his way down to the end and did another row before he ran out.

Pastor Jim showed him how to plant the rest of the seeds and the last thing they did was pull weeds from around the few early tomato plants and pick some fresh lettuce for a salad for dinner. They walked back to the house to prepare lunch and Sam was going to do some more research that afternoon. He didn’t tell Dean or Pastor Jim what he was doing because he knew they wouldn’t like it. He helped Pastor Jim fix lunch for them and when they were done grabbed his books from the bedroom and went outside. He had moved a lounge chair under one of the huge oak trees and settled down to read.

Sam heard the Impala pull in but didn’t stop his reading. He had found some interesting things about the town and this property in the third book he was reading. When the town was settled, it started out strong and was prosperous but after a few years, things started changing. People moved away and businesses started closing. Families became desperate and children suffered. He couldn’t believe what he was reading and startled when Dean came out to see what he was doing.

“Hey Sammy, what ya doing?”

“Just reading some history books?” Sam said quickly closing the book and trying to look innocent.

“You know you can have a little fun while we’re here,” he told him eyeing him closely. Dean knew Sam was hiding something but didn’t know what it was.

“How was your first day of work?” Sam asked trying to change the subject.

“Not bad. It felt good to be elbow deep in a car engine. Boss was impressed I knew as much as I did.”

“That’s good.”

“Dad wanted us to do some training while we were here. Might as well get it done before I take a shower.”

“Alright,” Sam sighed getting up and heading for the house to put the books away. He hadn’t taken a shower yet either and knew he would be sweaty and tired after their workout and was glad he hadn’t. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Dean watched his brother walk away, clutching the books to his chest and decided to let him slide this once. He moved away from the chair and began to stretch his body as he waited for his little brother. He was jogging in place when Sam came back out with two waters.

“Okay, start your stretching,” Dean told him accepting the water and sitting it aside. “Don’t slack either.”

“Alright,” Sam replied. He began bending at the waist and stretching his arms over his head. He copied Dean as he finished his warmups and waited for Dean to decide what they would do next. They usually warmed up for twenty to thirty minutes before getting into the training portion which lasted anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour. They ended with a run.

“We’re going to practice some hand to hand combat first,” Dean told him. He shook his arms for a moment and looked at Sam waiting for him to attack.

Sam knew Dean’s moves and wiggled his shoulders as he prepared himself. He studied Dean seeing how lax he was and moved around him once before suddenly launching himself at Dean to be brushed aside by his brother. Sam stumbled but caught himself and didn’t go down. He swung his leg around catching Dean on the back of the knee making him go down on one knee, but he grabbed Sam’s leg and flipped him as he got up. Sam threw a punch catching him in the jaw, with was pure luck and he stilled in surprise, letting Dean get the upper hand and toss him to the ground pinning him.

“Lucky punch there Sammy,” Dean grinned at him as he squirmed under his weight.

“Let me up,” Sam grunted as he smacked at his arm.

“Getting better there Sammy,” Dean told him offering his hand to help him up.

Sam looked up at him from the ground and took it allowing Dean to pull him up to his feet.

“Let’s practice the one-two punches for a bit and we’ll go for a run afterwards.”

“Alright, that sounds good.” Sam bounced on the balls of his feet as he raised his hands preparing to punch Dean’s raised hands.

“Lean into it more Sammy, let your body do more of the work, you’ll have more power behind the punch.”

Sam listened to his brother’s instructions and did as he was told. He could feel the extra power behind his punches and smiled when Dean praised him for it. That was the one thing that Dean always did for him; he gave him praise and encouragement where he deserved it. It was different when their father did the training. It was like he could never do it well enough or fast enough for him. Sam wasn’t like Dean who thrived on the training and the hunts. He was born to do this where Sam fought it every day.

When Dean saw Sam was getting tired, he stopped, and they cooled down whiles sipping some water. Once they had cooled, he spoke up. “Okay, let’s go for a run.”

“How far?”

“We’ll start with two miles one way and build up.”

“Okay, race you!” Sam yelled and took off down the driveway leaving Dean standing there.

“Little shit,” Dean laughed and took off after him catching up to him but not passing him. He stayed with him and they ran together at a steady pace until they had reached two miles and turned to go back. As they neared the house, Dean pushed it and moved past Sam who tried to catch him. “Not quite Sammy,” Dean huffed as he pulled up to a stop in the backyard. He snagged his water and gulped a few swallows as he walked around to cool off.

“Just wait, I’m going to beat you one of these days,” Sam panted leaning his hands on his knees to get his breath.

“Here,” Dean offered holding out his water.

“Thanks,” Sam said. He opened his water and sipped on it as he caught his breath.

“Since I won, I get the shower first,” Dean told him finishing his water and heading for the house.

“Fine, but don’t get used to it,” Sam called after him. He didn’t mind waiting because that way he wouldn’t have to listen to Dean pounding on the door yelling for him to hurry up, he wanted to get his shower. He dropped into the lounge chair and closed his eyes as a warm breeze blew through the trees drying the sweat on his face. He tuned everything else out and let his mind wander as he dozed. He was tired from working in the garden that morning and then training that afternoon.

**spn**

Everyone fell into a routine with Sam helping Pastor Jim in the mornings while Dean worked and then training with Dean in the afternoon for a few hours. The rest of the time was all Sam’s and he spent it reading, researching and exploring. He had Dean take him back to the library at the end of the week to return the books and see if there were any others he could check out. He found a couple of books and looked for some to read for pleasure.

It was the end of the following week before he really got a chance to go back into the woods to find the cabin again. He didn’t have to help Pastor Jim that morning and packed a small pack with water and snack food before heading around the church. He stepped into the forest and found the game trail again. Sam followed it deeper into the woods, feeling the temperature dropping as the huge trees shielded the forest floor from the bright sunlight. It felt good and he breathed in the earthly scent surrounding him.

The cabin came into view again and Sam stopped in the overgrown clearing that surrounded the cabin to look at it. He searched the forest first for any signs of anyone else around and then walked slowly around the place checking it out. It didn’t show any signs that anyone had been there in a very long time.

When he got back around to the front, he stopped at the porch and stared at the place he had fallen through. Being careful, Sam stepped around the hole and through the door into the room. He took time to look closer at the place this time and stepped carefully across the floor.

The hearth and fireplace took up a large portion of one wall. The fireplace was blackened and was filled with partly burned wood, ash, dirt and cobwebs. He looked behind him and could see his footprints in the dust that covered the place. There were several broken down chairs tossed to one side in a corner. There was a cabinet on the other side of the room that he figured was used for the kitchen. He looked toward a closed door on the other side of the room and walked toward it. Carefully, Sam pushed on the door and cringed as rusty hinges screeched loudly in protest until it stopped against the wall.

Sam craned his neck to look inside and saw a small room with the remains of a wooden bedframe and a thin mattress that was ripped apart with pieces scattered across the floor. There was not anything else in the room and he stepped back to the main part of the house. That’s when he heard it, a child’s mumbled voice coming from outside.

He hurried to the empty window and stuck his head out to look around. Sam didn’t see anyone in the yard but heard someone running in the leaves on the other side of the house.

“Hello,” Sam called in a calm voice. “Is anyone there?” Sam headed back outside dodging the hole and stepped to the ground. He heard it again around the corner of the house. Someone sobbed in a childish voice and then it was gone. Sam ran around the house looking into the woods as he went trying to catch a glimpse of the child. “Hello, won’t you show yourself to me?” He stopped and waited but didn’t hear anything again. After waiting fifteen minutes, Sam didn’t hear anything but the forest sounds and gave up. Whatever it was had gone now.

Sam made himself comfortable on the edge of the porch and took out a water and granola bar. He ate the bar and sipped on the water as he looked out into the trees. He could see squirrels jumping around and running up and down the trees, butterflies fliting from one flower to another, birds chirping and flying about. He froze when a fawn stepped from between the trees and looked his way as his ears twitched and they stared each other down. The fawn lowered its head and chewed on the sweet grass along the edge of the tree line. Sam slowly chewed the bite of granola bar in his mouth and just watched the fawn in awe and wonder. After a few minutes, the fawn turned and ran back among the trees disappearing. Sam sighed and decided he should get back before Dean did so he wouldn’t have to explain where he was.

Sam was rounding the corner of the church when Pastor Jim stepped from the church doors startling him.

“Hello Samuel. Didn’t mean to startle you,” he spoke gently.

“That’s okay,” Sam replied taking a few deep breaths to slow his pounding heart.

“I’m glad you’re back. There’s a storm coming, and I didn’t want you out in those woods when it got here.”

Sam looked over his shoulder and saw the dark clouds heading their way. He looked up in the trees never noticing that the wind had picked up and was blowing the branches wildly around in the treetops. He never noticed it when he was in the forest since the trees sheltered him.

“The rain will be good for the garden and cool things down. Come, young man, why don’t you help me fix lunch and we’ll have it ready for when your brother gets here.”

“Alright,” Sam nodded walking with him toward the house. He looked back again when a distant rumble of thunder sounded, announcing the storm was getting closer.

Sam went to use the bathroom and wash up before joining Pastor Jim in the kitchen. He had food items laid out on the counter and was putting eggs on to boil.

“I thought we could make up a nice chef salad and have some fresh fruit for dessert.”

“Ummm…Pastor Jim, you know Dean doesn’t like salads very much,” Sam tried to explain and not be rude about it.

“Oh, I know son, that’s why I’m fixing him a hamburger.”

“Okay, that will work.”

“Why don’t you start putting the salad together and I’ll make up a patty for Dean I can cook when he gets here. That way it’ll be hot. He’s likes onions on it, doesn’t he?”

“Yep, the greaser the better,” Sam grimaced. How his brother ate some of the things he did was beyond him. Sam had better respect for his body and wanted to eat healthy and take care of himself. He looked toward the window when the sound of thunder got louder and hoped Dean would beat the storm home. He started tearing the lettuce up and putting it in a large bowl first. Sam liked all different things in his salad because changing one thing made it taste different.

“You boys are as different as night and day in your likes and dislikes, but are so alike in other ways,” Jim chuckled as he mixed the beef with seasoning and patted out a couple of burgers. “You sure you don’t want one Samuel? There’s plenty of meat.”

“No, I’m good with a chef salad.”

“Alright then. I thought we could do tacos for dinner tonight with the leftover meat and some Spanish rice. Does that sound good?”

“Yes, I like tacos, but do you have the soft shells too?”

“Of course, I have both.” 

The rumbling of a car engine could be heard getting closer to the house. Sam looked out the window, standing on his tiptoes to see to the side and saw a black car easing toward the house. He looked up at the dark, rolling clouds as the first drops of rain began to pelt the landscape. He heard a car door slam and the front door open a few seconds later.

“Man! It’s getting nasty out there,” Dean announced as he wiped rain from his face as he walked into the kitchen.

“At least you got here before the worse of it,” Pastor Jim told him. “Go wash up, we’ll have lunch ready in about fifteen minutes.”

“We’re having more than rabbit food, right?” Dean asked eyeing the bowl of salad Sam was still working on.

“Yes Dean, I know your tastes and I’m putting on a couple of burgers for you.”

“Now you’re talking!” Dean nodded in satisfaction. “I’m going to grab a quick shower so take your time.”

“I can do that,” Jim replied turning the heat down on the burgers so they would cook slower.

A loud clap of thunder sounded overhead, and Sam looked out the kitchen window to see sheets of rain being blown across the yard as the storm hit. He flinched when a streak of lightening danced across the sky brightening the world outside for a moment before going dark again.

“It’s really coming down out there. Hope it doesn’t take a power line down around here. I better get out the flashlights in case we lose power.” He opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a couple of flashlights sitting them out of the way at the end of the counter. “I’ve got a couple of oil lamps in the living room we can use for light if needed.”

“Alright,” Sam flinched as a roll of thunder made the house shake slightly. He wasn’t a fan of thunderstorms, but it had gotten better the older he got. He thought about when he was younger and how he would crawl in bed with Dean if a storm raged outside keeping him awake and scared.

“You about done with the salad Samuel?” Pastor Jim asked breaking into Sam’s thoughts.

“Yes, I just need to peel the eggs and cut them up.”

“Alright, Dean’s burgers will be done in ten minutes.”

“I’ll get the dressings out and get the table set when I get this done.”

“Crap!” Dean cried out when thunder hit nearby rattling the windows. “What can I do?”

“Set the table for me,” Sam told him as he finished the eggs.

“I can do that.”

“Do you want your buns toasted?”

“Doesn’t matter, I’m good either way.”

“I’ll toss them in the toaster oven for a minute to heat them up.”

“Anyone else having burgers besides me?”

“No, we want to keep our arteries clear.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing.”

“A heart attack.”

“Screw you…Oh, sorry Pastor Jim.”

“It’s fine Dean. I’ve been around enough hunters and heard a lot worse. Let’s get everything on the table and have lunch.”

“Yeah, I’m starved,” Dean agreed.

“When are you not hungry?” Sam commented.

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.”

“Shall we say grace?” Pastor Jim asked both boys as they sat down at the table.

Dean and Sam eyed each other but kept their mouths shut knowing better. The storm continued to rage outside, and the power flickered, but never went out. They ate their meal and Dean told them about a couple of classic cars he had worked on at the garage.

Pastor Jim and Dean found an old movie to watch while Sam gathered his research and went through it organizing it. He used Dean’s laptop to look a few more things up and checked if their Dad had left an email or anything for them. He sighed unhappily when he didn’t find anything and once he was done, joined the others in the living room. Dean was asleep on the couch and Sam picked up one of his library books before sitting down beside him. He glanced at the screen seeing a western movie and opened his book to read for a while.

**spn**

It was two days before Sam could go back into the woods and to the cabin. He packed his knapsack with water and snacks and slipped on a light jacket before heading toward the church and into the woods finding the animal trail to follow. He didn’t see Pastor Jim standing at the edge of the garden watching him disappear into the woods. He wasn’t sure where Sam went when he hiked but he had warned him about being careful. Jim knew he couldn’t stop him from exploring, that’s what boys his age did, but he had a feeling there was more going on here he wasn’t privy to. He turned back to the garden and checked it for any damage from the storm that came through.

There were some limbs down in the trail and Sam moved around them. He was careful of the damp ground and holes, not wanting to fall and get hurt again. If he came back with another injury, he was sure Dean would put a stop to him coming out here. Sam didn’t know how long they were going to be here, and he wanted to solve this mystery before they left. From everything he read and could find about the property, Sam was sure there was a ghost haunting the cabin or the area and it was a child.

In his research, he had found hundreds of years ago when the land was just being settled and settlements were forming that it was not unusual for families who had more mouths than they could feed would take a child out in the woods and abandon them. It was a horrible practice, but the parents felt the sacrifice of one to ensure the survival of the remaining children was the only choice they had. It was like the Hansel and Greta story from the fairy tales he read a long time ago.

It took hours of looking but he narrowed it down to a spirit called a Myling. They were children who had been abandoned by their parents and not given proper burial and were un-baptized. The spirits could become vengeful and attack adults who abandon children physically or emotionally. He didn’t think this was happening since adults didn’t venture in the woods and he thought the spirits were anchored there by their bodies. Sam wanted to help the spirit move on and be at peace if he could communicate with it.

Drops of water dripped from the leaves and onto his head as he neared the cabin. He brushed it away and stopped as he stepped into the clearing. Downed branches littered the overgrown yard along with leaves and twigs. He looked around the area trying to see any sign of the spirit. His shoulders slumped when he didn’t see or hear anything foreign around the place. He made his way to the porch and sat down unslinging his pack to pull a bottle of water out and sip on it and wait.

It was only subtle at first, a soft whimper at the edge of the trees, but Sam didn’t look that way. He played it cool and tried to keep his tense body still. He wanted the spirit to come to him and not be afraid. Sam didn’t think it would hurt him since he was still considered a kid. Another noise at the corner of the cabin had him looking sideways in that direction.

“I won’t hurt you,” Sam said softly hoping not to scare it away. “Can I see you?” He waited patiently and after a couple of minutes, a shimmering shadow eased from around the cabin. It blinked in and out for a moment until taking shape of a young boy dressed in tattered rags. “Hello, my name is Sam,” he spoke softly and gently to the boy.

The spirit listened to Sam and cocked his head slightly, watching for any sudden movement from him. He didn’t speak, just watched Sam with wary eyes.

“Can you tell me your name?” he asked. Sam had read that Mylings had the same aspects as other ghosts so he thought they could speak if they desired.

“Henry,” the boy spirit finally spoke, his voice sounding hollow and off.

“Henry, nice to meet you. You want to come join me?” Sam asked moving down on the porch to give him plenty of room to sit. He watched anxiously as Henry slid closer, ever wary, and then sat down cross legged across from him.

**spn**

Dean pulled up beside the house and parked. He had gotten off work early today and was going to see if Sammy wanted to go catch a movie, check out the thrift stores and maybe have dinner in town. He would see if Pastor Jim wanted to join them or meet them at least of dinner.

“Dean, you’re home early,” Pastor Jim remarked looking up from his sermon notes.

“Work was light, where’s Sammy?”

“He’s gone into the woods again. Can’t seemed to keep him out of them. I’m not sure where he’s going when he disappears. Won’t really talk about it.”

“Which way does he go?” Dean asked. He got an uneasy feeling and was going to find his brother.

“He always goes in the woods at the same spot. I think there may be an old animal trail back there he might be following.”

“I’ll go find him and see what’s going on and he better not be doing something stupid.”

“Go easy on him Dean. Sam is a sensitive child who has the biggest heart I have ever seen. I’m sure he has a reason for going into the woods.”

Dean pressed his lips together but didn’t reply before turning to head for the church and to find the animal trail Pastor Jim told him about. He was an excellent tracker and it didn’t take him long to find the path about thirty feet into the forest. He could see his brother’s footprints in places where the trail was damp and free of leaves and pine needles. He moved silently and quickly, the need to find him growing as his uneasiness increased. He found tracks and broken branches the deeper he ventured into the forest. Dean had no idea what could interest Sam out here this deep in the woods.

When the trees began to clear, Dean slowed and listened when he caught his brother’s voice ahead of him. He was talking to someone but couldn’t make out the words. He stepped into the small clearing and saw the rundown, abandoned, cabin and his brother sitting cross legged on the porch across from a dirty, scrawny boy that looked younger than him. He frowned for a moment before stepping closer.

“What the hell’s going on Sammy?” he asked in a demanding voice.

Sam and Henry both jerked their heads toward the voice at the same time seeing Dean coming toward them. Before Sam could say anything, Henry disappeared and reappeared in front of Dean and threw out his arm, tossing him backwards to the ground. He stood in front of Sam to defend him and made ready to attack again until Sam called out.

“No Henry, don’t! That’s my brother. He won’t hurt you,” Sam cried out jumping up and running to him to stand between them. “It’s okay really. Just don’t hurt him.”

“S’mmy?” Dean groaned from the ground as he got his breath back and pushed himself to a sitting position and looked at his brother.

“It’s okay Dean, Henry didn’t know who you were. He won’t hurt you.”

“I think you’ve got some explaining to do,” Dean growled out giving him a stern look.

“Henry, this is my big brother, Dean. He’ll help us.”

“Help you do what?”

“Henry is a Myling, a child spirit that was abandoned by his parents in these woods and can’t find peace until his bones are buried in concentrated ground.”

“Come again?”

“I told Henry I would help him. Please Dean, he’s not bad, he just wants to leave this world and find peace.”

Dean looked at Sam and then looked behind him at Henry as he wavered slightly, his body still tense and unsure of him. He saw the pleading look in his brother’s eyes and weighted the options.

“Please Dean, if he was a live child, we would help him. Why can’t we do the same for his spirit?”

Dean huffed out a breath and got up with a grunt facing him. “Alright Sammy, we’ll see what we can do.”

Sam smiled happily and looked to Henry nodding his success. “I’ve been talking to Henry and I think his bones are nearby we just need to find them.”

Henry stepped to Sam and pulled on his arm making him lean down. He whispered into his ear for a moment before looking at Dean and hiding behind Sam.

“What’s he saying?” Dean asked Sam when he saw him frown slightly and bite his lower lip.

“It seems there are two more spirits out here like him and he wants us to help them too.”

“What the hell, the more the merrier,” Dean shrugged. “I think we’re going to need a few things before we start this. One, something to carry the bones in and two, possibly a shovel in case we need to dig the bones up.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. You think Pastor Jim will do a service for them?”

“Don’t see why not. He is a pastor after all. Tell Henry we’ll be back.”

Sam turned to Henry and talked quietly for a few minutes and stepped back. They watched Henry fade away before turning to head back out of the woods.

**spn**

Pastor Jim looked up when Dean and Sam entered the house. He was surprised when they came into the living room and started talking, explaining what Sam had found and wanting to help the spirits. Sam questioned him about blessing an area out by the cabin so it would be concentrated ground that they could bury the bones of the children.

“Let me get a few things from the church and we’ll go back,” Pastor Jim told them getting up.

“I’ll go get a couple of shovels and sacks,” Dean said. He headed toward the kitchen and out the back door to a shed that sat behind the house. He opened the door and looked around finding shovels and after a little digging found some burlap sacks they could use for the bones. Dean didn’t think the spirits would care what they were buried in since they had been dead for years.

Sam headed for the bathroom first and then went out to meet Dean coming around the house. He tossed the sacks to him and they continued to the church to wait on Pastor Jim. He came out fifteen minutes later with a pack that he shouldered before following the brothers back into the forest to the animal trail.

Dean moved quickly since he knew where they were going and was back to the cabin in half the time it took the first time. Sam stepped forward first and went to the cabin calling for Henry to return. They waited until Sam felt him first and turned looking to the trees nearby. He saw Henry peeking from behind the trees and smiled at him.

“It’s okay, we brought help. This is Pastor Jim; he can bless and concentrate a place so you can be buried and move on,” Sam told him. “Please come out.”

Pastor Jim watched with interest as the young child stepped from the trees and eased toward them. He kept Sam between himself and Pastor Jim not trusting the adult.

“Alright, Pastor if you find a place where we can dig the graves and prepare the soil. Sammy and me will see if Henry can lead us to his bones and the others. We’ll bring them back here. There’s three of them, so make the space big enough.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Pastor Jim replied. He walked the area looking for a suitable place where the ground was soft enough for the graves to be dug without much difficulty. Once a suitable spot was found, he took out his Bible, holy water, a mixture of myrrh, frankincense, hawthorn, thyme, and angelica to concentrate the ground so it would be sacred like a cemetery. He prayed over the ground as he sprinkled a large area with herbs and then holy water. When the ritual was complete, he found sticks to mark the area and picked up a shovel to begin digging a grave.

Sam spoke to Henry and explained what they needed from him. He asked if he knew where his body was, and could he take them to it and the others. Henry nodded yes and moved away from the cabin back into the woods. Dean grabbed a shovel and followed Sam as he followed Henry. They walked for nearly thirty minutes until Ben slowed and looked around for a moment before moving to an outcrop of rocks and pointed at the ground at the base of it. Dean used the shovel to rake away the leaves and debris from the spot and began to dig into the soil.

Sam looked around when Henry called softly and looked on when two more children stepped from among the trees to stand nearby watching what they were doing. Henry went to them and whispered to them. He saw then looking their way and then back to Henry and nodded.

“Sammy, a little help here,” Dean called to him as he stopped digging and knelt to use his hands to remove dirt.

Sam pulled a sack loose and went over to Dean to see he had uncovered some bones. He got on his knees and helped to carefully removed the bones from the ground and place them in the sack. When the had collected all of them, Sam closed the sack and turned to Henry who was smiling.

“Can they show us where their bodies are?” Sam asked.

Henry spoke to the other two spirits and they turned to head back toward the cabin but veered off before getting there. Dean and Sam pushed their way through brush and small trees as the spirits moved through them. It wasn’t long before they stopped at a fallen tree and pointed to it.

“Guess this is the spot,” Dean huffed taking the shovel to clear under the tree so he could start digging again.

Sam looked around and found a branch he could use and began to break up the dirt so Dean could shovel it out easier. They didn’t have to dig too long or too deep before Dean uncovered the first bones.

“Are both of you here?” Sam asked looking to the spirits.

The girl nodded her head as the younger boy moved closer to her side watching them uncover what was left of them.

“Okay Sammy let’s get these two bagged and get back to Pastor Jim. They waited a long time to find peace.”

“I’m on it,” Sam replied shaking out the two bags and helping Dean uncover the bones and bag them. The two sets of bones were curled up, side by side like they were trying to comfort each other at the end of their lives.

“I think that’s all of them. Can they tell if we got them all or not?” Dean asked looking to the three spirits waiting patiently nearby. It still felt weird doing this, but he had to agree with his brother, even if they were spirits, they needed their help.

“Guys, are we good?” Sam asked and waited as Henry mumbled to the other two and then nodded his head.

“Let’s get back to the cabin and get this done. All this work has made me hungry,” Dean said. “And I don’t want to hear it,” he continued when Sam opened his mouth to speak but stopped with Dean’s words.

Dean carried two bags and let Sam carry the shovel and one bag as he led everyone back through the woods to the cabin. They found Pastor Jim digging the last grave and sat the bags by the holes.

“Good you’re back, I’m just finishing up. I think they will be deep enough since there is really no body to be buried.”

“Let me finish that up so you can take a break,” Dean offered taking his place in the last grave and digging.

“Sam can you find out their names for me?” Pastor Jim asked.

“I know one is Henry, let me see,” he said. Sam stepped to the spirits and talked quietly with them before coming back to him. “They are Henry, Sarah, and James.”

“Thank you Samuel.”

“This should do it,” Dean grunted stepping from the grave and sitting a sack into it. He tried to adjust the bones to lay even before stepping out.

Sam took the other two sacks and placed them in the two remaining holes and stepped back so Pastor Jim could sprinkle holy water over each sack, along with the mixture of herbs.

“Heavenly Father, we commit these young children into your care. Wrap your loving arms around them and let them find peace in Heaven where they belong. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, may you rest in peace now Henry, Sarah and James. Boys,” he said picking up a hand full of dirt and tossing it into the grave. Dean and Sam did the same.

They looked toward the spirits who were holding hands as their bodies began to glow softly, shimmering and fading until they were surrounded by the light before it blinked away. Sam head a whisper in his ear, _‘thank you,’_ as they vanished completely.

“You did a good thing here Samuel. You should be proud of yourself for helping those innocent souls to find peace.”

Sam nodded not trusting his voice before picking up a shovel to help Dean fill the graves. They packed the soil down and Sam found some straight branches to make crude crosses for each one. He used the shovel to tap them into the ground before standing back and looking at them. He didn’t think anyone would disturb the grave since no one ventured into the woods.

“Shall we go home boys? I for one am getting hungry.”

“See even Pastor Jim is hungry,” Dean said making Sam roll his eyes.

They headed back to the house as the light began to dim in the forest. Sam did feel good about himself and helping the Myling find peace they wanted and allowing them to go to Heaven.

**The End**

**==============================================**

**A/N: Another letter finished, and I hoped you enjoyed this tale. Comments would be great. NC**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I would like to thank Clowns or Midgets and VegasGranny for their advice and suggestions on some of the following letters. Their insight helped me to improve the stories and I hope you enjoy them. You gals rock! Comments would make my day. NC**

* * *

**N**

The noises of the outside world woke Dean from his sleep, and he had to lay there a moment to get his bearings. He was stretched out in the front seat of his Baby and light was streaming in the windows.

“Hey, we need to get…” Dean started raising up to look in the back to see no one was there. He drew in a deep breath and sighed heavily as the memories came back. He was alone in the car. He closed his eyes as a dull ache built in his chest for the one that was supposed to be sleeping back there.

Sam had left when he realized he couldn’t hunt. He was messed up after getting hooked on demon blood and trusting a demon over his own brother. That resulted in him freeing Lucifer from his Cage. He didn’t know that would happen when he killed Lilith. He was manipulated by angels and demons alike and the world was suffering because of it.

When Sam walked away from Dean, it almost broke him. Every cell in his body screamed out to stop him, to tell him to come back, to let him know they could work it out, but he couldn’t. Dean spent more time worrying about Sam than doing the job and that was dangerous. He had to let him go, it was better that way.

Dean rubbed the sleep from his eyes and scooted behind the wheel of the Impala to crank her. He needed to find food and look for a case. The only way he was going to get through this was to stay busy and keep his mind off his brother. He pulled from the parking space and onto the main room to search for a diner and have breakfast. He would look for one with free Wi-Fi and see if there was anything online that sounded like his kind of deal.

It didn’t take him long to find a diner that seemed to be popular and decided the food must be good to have that many customers. Dean pulled into the parking lot and found a safe place to leave his Baby where she would be less likely to be dinged or dented from careless people. He made his way inside and looked around before heading for a booth and faltered when it struck him, he didn’t need a booth. It was only him now and he veered to the bar and took a seat at the end where he could see the door and the room.

“Coffee hon?” an older waitress asked as she came by with the pot of coffee.

“Please,” Dean nodded turning the cup over for her to fill. He scanned the menu and stopped when his eyes fell on the healthy choices knowing that would be what Sam would order. He shook his head and pushed the memories away knowing he couldn’t dwell on them.

“Are you ready hon?” she asked a few minutes later.

“Yeah, I’ll have the Blue Plate Special with extra bacon,” Dean told her sitting the menu back between the salt and napkin dispenser trying to push away the emotions plaguing him.

“Good choice, I’ll get this right in,” she nodded scribbling on a pad. “Would you like a biscuit and jam while you wait?”

“Sounds good, Dolly.” Dean pulled his laptop from his pack and sat it beside him. He booted it up and went online to see what he could find that might be a hunt. He nodded to Dolly when she placed a plate with a biscuit and pack of jam at his elbow. The smell of the fresh made biscuit had his mouth watering and he paused long enough to pry it open and put the jam inside and taking a big bite. Someone knew how to make biscuits in this place. He sighed happily, before wiping his fingers so he could scroll down the screen looking at the headlines.

Dolly came back by with more coffee and a few minutes later sat two plates in front of him. “Here you go hon; hope you enjoy it. Maybe it’ll make you feel better. I kind of get the feeling you’re missing somebody.”

“If it’s as good as the biscuit, I’m sure I will. You could say that, I guess.”

“Thanks for the compliment. I usually make them up every morning.”

“Well, you are a good cook Dolly,” Dean praised giving her a warm smile and wink. He chuckled when she blushed and hurried away to take care of another customer. He pushed his laptop back slightly but kept reading as he ate. Any other time this would be Sam going through the stories and finding them a case, but for now it was up to him. He was almost finished with his breakfast when a headline caught his eyes and he clicked on the article to open it and read it. It sounded promising and what was even better, the town was only four hours from where he was now. He marked the article before closing and putting away his laptop.

“Is there anything else I can get you hon?” Dolly asked when she saw he was done.

“How ‘bout a large coffee to go?”

“My pleasure, I’ll have that for you in a second.” She reached behind her for a large white cup and poured coffee into it and then put a lid on it. She pulled out her pad and added the coffee to it before sitting both in front of Dean. “I hope you’ll come back this way again and I’m sure things will work out, sometimes it just takes a little time apart.”

“You can count on it if I’m back in the area,” Dean assured her. He glanced at the bill and pulled a couple of bills from his pocket. “Keep the change and have a good day Dolly and…Thanks for the advice.”

“Thank you and you do the same young man.”

Dean strolled from the diner and headed for the Impala. He dug out an atlas he kept in the car and found his location and then the town he was heading to. His eyes quickly roamed over the map, picking out the best route to get there. With that done, he started his Baby and pulled from the parking lot to the main road that would take him to the interstate. He sat back and relaxed but couldn’t help looking over at the empty seat beside him where his brother was supposed to be sitting. He bit back the feeling of sadness and grief that flooded his mind knowing he needed to get his head in the game if he was going to hunt. He couldn’t let anything distract him or make him loose his focus since that was what got you killed.

With his sights set on Clayton, New Mexico, Dean cleared his head of all other thoughts. He flipped on the radio and found a station to his liking and upped the volume since there was no one to stop him. He let his head nod to the music and drummed his hands on the steering wheel. He wouldn’t get to Clayton until evening so he couldn’t see trying to rush there. Nothing could be done until the next day and that meant getting a motel room for a few days and checking out the deaths to see if it was a case.

**spn**

Night had fallen across the small town and Dean checked several motels before deciding on the one he liked best. He pulled up to the office and stopped sitting there for a moment before it dawned on him. He needed to get out and get a room. That was always Sam’s job and now he was flying solo. He swore under his breath at himself and opened the door to get out. There were a lot of things that were going to be different working alone and he was going to have to get used to it. He didn’t know if Sam could hunt again or not, but he couldn’t wait on him to decide or find out. There were still people out there that needed saving and he couldn’t just stop. This is what he did, it was in his genes, he was damn good at it.

Dean opened to door to his room and stood there looking in. It didn’t look right or feel right. He had gotten a single since double beds weren’t needed. Seeing only one bed in the room make his chest tighten and he fought to control his breathing. He had to remember Sam was an adult and could take care of himself. He wasn’t going to be out there fighting monsters alone so he shouldn’t worry about him.

After another moment, he moved into the room and sat his bag on the dresser. He dropped onto the bed and flipped on the television since there was no one to talk to. He knew he should be reviewing the article he found and seeing if there was anything else online, but his heart wasn’t in it right now. He flipped through the channels and stopped when he found one of Sam’s favorite movies and settled down to watch it even though he didn’t really like it. It gave him a feeling of being close to Sam.

**spn**

Several hours later, Dean snorted and jerked himself awake and gripped the gun laying by his side. It took him a moment to realize where he was and looked at some random movie playing now. He glanced at the clock and grunted knowing he needed more sleep. He pushed himself from the bed and stumbled to the bathroom to use it before making his way back to the bed. He kicked off his boots and stripped his jeans and long sleeved shirt off before pulling back the covers to lay down. He turned off the television and lamp by the bed before rolling over and trying to go back to sleep.

The noises surrounding him seemed louder and out of place. He could hear traffic outside the room, but there was no soft snoring to lull him to sleep now. He worked on shutting down his mind and letting sleep take him into the abyss where he didn’t feel anything. It wasn’t a peaceful sleep for him, but it was better than nothing. The dreams that he couldn’t seem to lock away showed Sam smiling at him with blood stained teeth and a trail of blood running down the side of his mouth that he licked away. At his feet lay a body that had been drained of blood. He fought the dream and tried find a peaceful place and leave that horror behind.

It was early morning when Dean jerked himself awake knowing he wasn’t going to be able to sleep any longer. He got up and trudged to the bathroom, shivering slightly as he felt the room was closing in on him. He was used to a bigger room with two beds and much more breathing room. He flipped on the shower and used the commode while the water heated. When the temperature was suitable, he undressed and stepped under the hot spray hoping it was wash away some of the tension and tightness in his shoulders and neck. He shampooed his hair and washed his body before standing under the spray and letting it beat on his back. With a long sigh, he shut the water off and grabbed a towel to dry off before stepping from the tub.

He secured the towel around his hips before stepping from the bathroom to grab briefs and his suit. After he was dressed, it was still early so he headed out and got in the Impala to check out the diner down the road. It was too early to visit the local cops and that was his first stop before the morgue. The parking lot was beginning to fill with locals stopping for breakfast before heading on to work. He found a parking spot and went inside hoping the food was good. He planned on ease dropping on the locals to see if anyone was talking about what was happening in town.

**spn**

The sheriff’s office was small and set near the middle of town beside the courthouse. Dean pulled into a visitor parking spot and got out straightening his tie and jacket before heading for the door. He stepped inside and walked up to a counter with a male deputy sitting behind it filling out paperwork. He waited for him to look up before he spoke.

“Is your sheriff in yet? I’d like to speak with him,” Dean told him.

“And you are?” the deputy questioned.

“Agent Wilson, FBI,” Dean said. He pulled out his fake credential and flashed them his way.

“One moment, you can take a seat over there.”

Dean looked around and saw four chairs lined up against the wall and stepped to them taking a seat. He looked around the place thinking it wasn’t any different than any of the other sheriff departments he had been in over the years. The one big difference was he didn’t have his brother there to dish out the charm and get what they needed. He watched the deputy talking quietly on the phone before going back to his paperwork, occasionally glancing at Dean as he worked.

The door behind the counter opened and an older, distinguished looking man in uniform stepped out. He looked at the deputy who nodded toward Dean and cast his eyes in his direction.

“Hello, I’m Sheriff Bishop, how can I help the FBI?” he asked greeting Dean and holding his hand out to shake.

“Agent Wilson, Sheriff. I’m here about the deaths that have taken place over the past few weeks. Can we go somewhere and talk?”

“Of course, we can use my office, this way.” The sheriff lead Dean through the door and to the back of the squad room to an office. He motioned to one of two chairs sitting in front of his desk and went around to take the one behind it. “I’m not sure why you’re here; I don’t remember calling the FBI for assistance.”

“I don’t know, I think someone called the main office and my boss’s boss got in touch with him and my boss with me. I just go where they tell me sir.”

“Don’t they usually send two agents out on a case?”

“They do but my partner was reassigned, and I haven’t been given a new one yet,” Dean told him, not able to hide the sadness in his eyes. He didn’t see the sheriff studying him for a moment wondering what he wasn’t telling him. “What can you tell me about these deaths?”

“That’s the thing, I’m not sure what to think about them. One witness swears several zombies attacked a group in the park and another one says some creature attacked some hikers on the outskirts of town. I can’t confirm either nor, can I find a trace of any attackers. It’s like they vanished into thin air.”

“Were the two incidents linked in anyway?”

“Not that we could find. The ones in the park were friends, but there’s nothing to link them to the hikers. We got a couple of calls from local farmers that something was attacking their livestock and yet again couldn’t find any trace of alleged attackers, but there were several dead animals. I’m afraid these events have got us stumped.”

“Was there anything strange or unusual happening around the time of the deaths? Something that you couldn’t explain?” Dean hated this part of the investigation, playing nice with the locals to get the information he needed. Sam was always much better at it and could pour out the charm.

“Now that you mention it, there was a power outage in a half a block radius the night of the attacks and the report from the farmers. There has been a total of five now. It was almost like it was planned. What makes it weirder was how the outages bounced around. The first outage happened, a few days later another one happened and a few days later it happened at the first location again, then went to the second one. The last outage was in a different place but has only happened one time. They were miles apart and nothing explains why it would happen in those places. I mean down to the minute, but the victims were nowhere near the outages and the power company has no explanation as to why it happened. It lasted less than thirty minutes and the power came back on just as suddenly as it went out. We could find no tampering with the lines or any reason for that to happen. It has us stumped and we can’t find any type of connection to the locations and the victims.”

“Alright, do you have the location of those outages in the reports?”

“Yes, and the reports from the power company.”

“Could I get a copy of all your police reports on the cases and I’ll need to see the victims.”

“Sure, always happy to cooperate with the FBI and the morgue is in the basement of the hospital about two miles away. You can follow the signs when you leave our parking lot. I’ll have someone copy the files.”

“Thanks, that’ll be a big help,” Dean said. He waited until he was off the phone before asking. “Do you have any theories Sheriff?”

Sheriff Bishop huffed a breath and sat back in his chair to look at Dean. “If there weren’t the deaths, I’d say someone was pulling pranks, but to be honest nothing makes sense. We don’t have that many murders in a small town like this and now we’ve got six in less than three weeks is unheard of. How can these people be killed without any evidence being left behind? It’s just not adding up.”

“Understandable. Well, I’ll see what I can find out.”

“If you’ll keep me informed on anything you turn up, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course. The witnesses you talked to, are they reliable sources?”

“Yes, I’ve known both of them a number of years and could see no reason for either to lie about what they saw.”

“Alright. After I visit the morgue, I’ll check out the crime scenes and if anything else turns up, please call me,” Dean told him pulling a business card from his pocket.

“I will, the deputy will have the reports for you out from. It was nice to meet you Agent Wilson.”

“Likewise, Sheriff, have a good day.” Dean shook his hand and turned to leave heading back to the front to wait of the files. This was sounding like something he needed to investigate, but he wasn’t sure what he might be looking for. Now was the time he really missed his brother and his huge brain. They usually split the work and Sam was a whiz at narrowing down a possible creature or killer quicker than he was. He had to wait fifteen minutes for the deputy to copy the files before leaving to find the morgue.

He found the signs for the hospital and followed them to a three-story building and pulled around to the back for the rear entrance, knowing they wouldn’t be bringing bodies in the front. He parked and got out seeing a door marked delivery.

The temperature dropped as he pushed through the double doors marked Morgue and looked around. He opened the door to the right and stepped into a brightly lit room with two stainless steel tables sitting in the middle of the room. A lab tech was sitting at a desk near the door and looked up.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, I’m Agent Wilson, FBI; I’d like the see the murder victims from the past couple of weeks.”

“Umm..I’m not sure I should…”

“I’ve already spoke the Sheriff Bishop and he approved it.”

Dean turned when a middle aged man dressed in scrubs and lab coat stepped into the room. He figured he was the coroner and waited for him to speak.

“Holt what’s going on?” he asked the tech looking at Dean.

“He’s with the FBI and wants to see the murder victims.”

“Well, don’t just sit there, go pull them out,” he ordered. “Help these days. Sheriff Bishop sent you over here.”

“Yes, I’m lending a hand with the cases. While I inspect the bodies, could I get copies of your reports?”

“Of course, Holt, make the agent copies of those files and make it snappy.”

“Yes, Dr. Grant,” Holt answered. He had opened and pulled six bodies from the drawers and hurried to the filing cabinets that lined the wall by the desk to find the files.

“Thank you, doctor,” Dean nodded. He stepped across the room and grabbed gloves from a box on the wall to slip on before going to the first one and pulling the sheet from the body. He let it settle at the hips and surveyed the body studying the wounds. He was sure they were made by human teeth and started to tell Sam to take photos but snapped his mouth shut and dug his cell from his pocket before he could say it. Dean moved around the body taking closeup shots before covering it and moving to the next. He did this to all the bodies, wanting as much evidence as he could get. The difference was obvious as he snapped photos of the wounds that were raw, jagged and like something had ripped out huge chunks of flesh and some were gashes made by claws. “Were there any organs missing from either?”

“As a manner of fact, the one you’re looking at was missing his heart and liver.”

Dean finished with the bodies and covered the last one up. He pulled the gloves off and tossed them as his mind began to work on what could have done this. He accepted the files from the tech and nodded his thanks to the coroner as he left. He was going to check the police reports to see where the bodies were found and go check the sites out. Maybe he would see something the local missed and would point him in the right direction of what could have done this.

**spn**

Dean was walking around the yellow tape still there showing the crime scene in the park when his cell began to ring. He answered it, “Hello, Agent Wilson.”

“Agent Wilson, Sheriff Bishop. We just had a call from the hospital about two admissions you might want to check out.”

“Are there other victims?”

“I don’t know. They’re still alive, but you might want to meet me there. It’s better you see it for yourself instead of me trying to explain it over the phone. I’m looking at it and I still don’t believe it.”

“I’m on my way Sheriff. I should be there in twenty minutes of less.”

“Come to the emergency room entrance. I’ll be waiting for you there.”

“Alright.” Dean hung up wondering what the sheriff had found and how the two hospital admits tied into the case. He went back to the car and dropped into the driver’s seat to head for the hospital. Traffic was light and he made good time back across town and followed the signs to the emergency entrance at the side of the building to park.

He got out and made his way inside, giving the waiting room a once over, looking for the sheriff. He was about to ask at the desk when he stepped through a door looking around until he spotted Dean.

“This way agent,” Sheriff Bishop waved to him. “It’s okay Maggie, he’s with me,” he told a nurse who was about to stop Dean from going back where the patients were being treated.

“Alright Sheriff,” she nodded going back to her work.

“What’s going on Sheriff?” Dean questioned seeing the strained and worried look on his face.

“Remember I told you about the power outages on the nights of the attacks?”

“Yes.”

“There have been two people brought into the ER that live in the center of where each the power outages happened. One is a thirty-four-year-old female and the other is a fifteen-year-old male. Neither have any connection to the victims that I can tell from my brief interview or know each other.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“You will,” the sheriff said pausing at a curtain and pulling it back enough for them to go in.

Dean stepped in with the sheriff and stumbled slightly when he saw the old woman lying on the bed breathing heavily. He frowned and looked to the sheriff wondering if they were in the wrong cubicle.

“This is Stacey Reynolds, she lives at the center of the first outage,” he said quietly so not to disturb her. “Her husband was on a business trip, so she was alone at home that night. All she remembers was the lights went out and something was in the house with her. She woke up feeling rundown and like she was coming down with the flu, so she took a few days off work. The power went out again less than a week later and her husband found her in their bedroom and brought her in.”

“She’s supposed to be thirty-four?” Dean questioned taking in the wrinkled, aged features of the woman’s face. Her hands were draw, had aged spots and her skin seemed paper thin with blood vessels prominent across the top of it.

“What could have done this to her?”

“I don’t know,” Dean admitted.

“The teenager is in the next room.” The sheriff stepped through the curtain and moved to the next cubicle allowing Dean to go in first.

The woman was bad, but the teenage boy looked like he had aged fifty years. His body was shrunken, his hair white, and he gasped for each breath he took. He turned his head toward them and looked up with eyes that were cloudy from cataracts. It was like the life was sucked out of both patients.

Dean was at a loss for words knowing this case just got very complicated and he was going to need help.

“Eddie lives where the other outage occurred.”

“No one else was affected that you know of?”

“No, we can’t find anyone else sick, missing, nothing. The doctors ran test but can find nothing wrong with them except they suddenly aged in a week’s time. Nothing shows up that they are contagious or can affect others. At least that’s one thing. Things like this don’t happen in small towns, I don’t even know where to start to investigate this or how to stop it from happening again.”

“I’m heading back to the motel to make some calls to some people that might be able to help. Hang in there. Keep me posted on any changes,” Dean told him.

“You think this is some weird disease or bug?”

“I can’t say, but I’ll do my best to stop it.” Dean gave him a nod and hurried from the emergency room and back to the car. Once he was inside, he pulled out his cell and called the only person he knew that might be able to help.

“Hey Bobby, it’s Dean.”

_“Dean! Son good to hear from you. It’s been awhile.”_

“Yeah, I know. I’m working a case that has really thrown me and hope you can do some research for me or maybe you’ve come across something like it before.”

_“Sure Dean, has Sam found anything useful?”_

Dean didn’t say anything as he drew in a long breath.

_“Dean? Is something wrong?”_

“Sam’s not with me, we’re doing our own thing right now,” he finally got out. Dean winced when Bobby swore at him about being an idjit and should know better than to split up. They were the best hunters out there and had each other’s backs like no one else could. He didn’t say anything as he berated him and knew he was right but couldn’t make himself fix it.

_“What have you got?”_ Bobby asked after he had calmed.

“Six deaths and two people who aged like fifty years in less than a week. Some witnesses said zombies attacked four of the victims, but there was no trace of the attackers when the crime scene was worked. Could I be looking at a witch? What’s really strange is there have been power outages in three places in town and the ones who aged each lived in the middle of two of them. I swear Bobby, it’s like their life force was sucked from them or something.”

_“Let me do some reading and I’ll get back to you.”_

“Thanks Bobby. I’m heading back to the motel to go back over everything I have and see if I missed anything.” He hung up and cranked the Impala. His mind was churning trying to come up with a monster that might fit the profile. Now, more than ever he missed his brother who was a star with this kind of thing. Dean decided to stop at the diner for some food so he wouldn’t have to go back out. He didn’t know how long he had before there was another death or another victim of aging, but he had a feeling somehow the two were connected.

**spn**

Dean had a map of the town spread out on the table in his room so he could mark where the victims were taken, bodies were found, where the power outages happened and where the two in the hospital lived. He leaned over the map and studied it trying to find the missing piece. Dean swore when nothing stood out and flopped down in a chair as he slammed his hand down on table. His cell started ringing and he looked around for his jacket to grab it.

“Hey Bobby,” Dean answered hoping Bobby had some news for him. “Did you find anything for me?”

_“Maybe, I was looking at Shtriga, but the power outage thing threw me until I finally found a reference that had me looking at some rare tomes and I think you’re dealing with a Night Hag. It’s a spirit and similar to a Shtriga.”_

“Night Hag, what do you know about it?”

_“Well, it feeds off a person’s life force draining them. With the Shtirga they usually only attack children since they have a powerful life force and they don’t age, only lapse into a coma and die. The Night Hag must take more from the person to age like that,”_ Bobby contemplated _. “The spirit can create and manipulate nightmares which would then materialize in the real world and go on killing sprees until they fade away. The more it feeds the stronger it gets until the nightmares become corporal and stay that way. Whenever the night hag feeds, it results in the disruption of all electrical in the vicinity shutting it down until the feeding is over. Night hags possess the ability to conjure up manifestations of people's worst nightmares, so your victims were killed by someone else’s nightmares. They can manipulate weather, Terrakinesis, Electrokinesis and Pyrokinesis. This is one nasty spirit.”_

“Okay, but how do I kill it?”

_“As a spirit, Night Hags are vulnerable to iron. However, unless they are feeding, it only hurts them. Being stabbed with an iron weapon while corporeal will kill them. It’s got to be feeding to kill it.”_

“Oh, that’s just great!” Dean growled. “How am I supposed to find this spirit when it could be attacking anyone in this town.”

_“Well, the Night Hag will look for someone that is vulnerable and easy to manipulate. Maybe someone who has lost a loved one or broken heart, I can’t tell ya son.”_

“Will it come back to either of the two that it started draining?”

_“I don’t know, maybe. The reading did say it usually took three to four times before the victims are totally drained. Do you want me to join you and help? Where are you?”_

“Clayton, New Mexico, too far for you to get here. I’ll see what I can do here Bobby. Maybe I can trap it someway.”

_“I’ll put out a call and see if there’s anyone close that can lend a hand. After you’re done why don’t you head my way? Maybe I can knock some sense into that hard head of yours.”_

“Maybe Bobby, I better go,” Dean said quickly hanging up not wanting to hear Bobby’s angry words. He paced the room for a moment as he tried to decide how to proceed. If the Night Hag was bouncing around from victim to victim…Dean stepped back to the map and let his finger move from the first reported power outage to the second, to the third, the fourth and finally the fifth. It clicked; Dean knew where the Night Hag was going to strike next. At least he hoped it was right. Knowing he was going to need the sheriff’s help he grabbed his cell and jacket as he headed for the door. “Sheriff, Agent Wilson, I need you to meet where the last power outage took place, at the center…I’ll be there in fifteen minutes…We have a big problem,” he spoke into his cell while getting into the car. He didn’t wait for the sheriff to question him further knowing time was of the essence. Dean pulled from the parking lot to head across town to the hospital hoping he wasn’t too late. He pressed harder on the gas once he was in traffic.

**spn**

Dean was parked on the street and looked at the houses around him. He knew someone in one of them had been attacked by the Night Hag and needed to find them. He looked up as the sheriff pulled in behind him and got out, walking slowly toward him.

“Thanks for joining me Sheriff. We need to start knocking on the doors of these houses to find out if anyone is sick,” Dean explained as he pushed from the Impala’s side.

“You know something you’re not telling agent.”

“I don’t have time to explain it right now. After we find the person and get them to safety, I’ll tell you my plan.” Dean didn’t like involving the locals in a hunt, but he didn’t have a choice with no backup. “I’ll take this side; you start on the other. Text me if you find anyone.”

The sheriff watched Dean walk to the first house on the corner and up the walkway wondering what he was hiding. He wasn’t going to let this drop and was going to be sure the agent told him the truth. The only way to find out was play alone and see where this led. He crossed the street and walked up to the first house and rang the doorbell.

The first three houses were a bust for Dean but when he rang the doorbell for the fourth one something told him he had found the place. He could hear movement inside, but it took a few minutes for that person to answer the door. It was a guy who looked like death warmed over. He was coughing, his completion was pallid, and he looked like he had aged.

“Good afternoon sir, I’m Agent Wilson with the FBI. We’re doing a door to door canvas to see if anyone has become ill over the past few days and you seem to fit the bill.”

“It’s just the flu dude, should’ve got the flu shot when my Mom told me to,” he wheezed and coughed into a wad of tissues.

“Sir, mind telling me how old you are,” Dean questioned.

“I’ll be the big three O in another month why?”

Dean looked him over and knew for sure this was the place. The guy could easily pass for fifty, not thirty. “Sir, I need you to pack a bag and go to the hospital. I’m going to have to check your house out for contaminants.” He pulled his cell out and sent a text to the sheriff, looking at the house number again to be sure he got it right.

“What? You can’t do this. I’m just sick,” the guy complained his voice getting louder and weaker.

“There a problem here Agent Wilson?” Sheriff Bishop asked as he stepped up on the porch.

“I don’t know. I’ve asked the gentleman to head to the hospital and I need to search his house,” Dean replied.

“Sheriff can he do this?”

The sheriff looked at the house number and stared hard at the guy standing at the door. He knew this person; he was sure of it.

“Are you Amos’s son, Kit?” he asked cautiously hoping he was wrong.

“Yeah, you know my father from high school.” Kit replied.

“Son, you do what the agent wants and hurry up.”

“You sure Sheriff?”

“Yes, it’s for your own safety Kit. Go to the hospital and call your Dad.”

“Alright Sheriff,” he sighed as he shuffled away from the door and headed down a hall to get a small bag and change of clothes.

“We need to talk after Kit leaves,” Sheriff Bishop declared looking Dean in the eyes. He got on the radio and called for a car to come and take Kit to the hospital.

Dean knew he wasn’t going to be able to lie his way out of this and wished Sam were here to help him. They waited in the foyer for Kit to return. He tried to come up with a cover story that might be believed but nothing good was coming to mind.

Kit came back down the hall, moving slowly like an old man with a small pack over his shoulder. He was breathing hard and sweat was beating up on his forehead.

“I’ve called a deputy to take you to the hospital Kit and I’ll call the ER to let them know you are coming. They’ll take good care of you.”

“Thanks Sheriff, I was hoping the medicine I took would help but it doesn’t seem to be doing any good.”

“You’ll be fine, just do what the doctors tell you son.” He looked down the street when one of his deputy’s arrived and helped Kit to the SUV and into the car. The sheriff gave the deputy instructions before they drove off and turned to look back at Dean and the house. He walked back up the walkway and into the open door, shutting it behind him. “Okay, what the hell is happening in my town?”

Dean looked at the sheriff and saw his tense and angry body language and decided to tell him the truth. He wasn’t sure how he would take it and hoped he didn’t throw him in jail or the nut house.

“Why don’t we find the kitchen and see if he has any coffee?” Dean suggested thinking it would be better if they were sitting down. They made their way through an archway and saw the kitchen off a small dining area. Dean took the lead and walked into the room giving it a quick once over before going to the coffee pot and checking it out. He opened a couple of cabinets and found coffee, filters and mugs. Once the coffee was brewing, he joined the sheriff at the bar to wait. “Sheriff, what I’m going to tell you is…This is going to be hard…Maybe impossible to believe but I am telling you the truth,” he started trying to say the right words. “There are things in this world that are not human. What has invaded your town is called a Night Hag.”

The sheriff looked at him with hard eyes and his mind flipped a coin to determine if Dean was nuts or if what he was saying was true. He pursed his lips and frowned deeply before finally speaking.

“Go on, just what is a Night Hag.”

“It’s a spirit that feeds off the life energy of others until they die or almost die. When she feeds any electricity around her stops working, thus your power outages.”

“You mean the ones at the hospital and Kit. They’ve had their life energy taken from them?”

“Yes, and the murder victims were attacked from nightmares that the Hag manifested to life. The reason you found no evidence at the crime scenes was she was still too weak to make them come to life. When that happens, it will be a blood bath unless I stop her. Why don’t you go on back to the office and I hope to have this wrapped up tonight?”

“You tell me this wild story about a spirit attacking people and you want me to just bow out?” he asked in shock. “You’re not FBI, are you?”

“No, I’m a hunter and this is what I do. I find the bizarre deaths or incidents and investigate them to see if there are supernatural elements involved and stop them.”

The coffee dinged it was ready and Dean got up to pour two cups. He came back to the bar and pushed one toward the sheriff as he watched the emotions play across his face. It took him a few minutes of some serious thinking before he looked up at Dean and spoke.

“I’m not letting you do this alone. This is my town and I plan on protecting it no matter what is attacking it.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, tell me more about this Night Hag and how do we stop it.”

Dean was impressed he was taking this in stride and went on to tell him what he knew and how everything fit together. The sheriff listened closely absorbing everything.

“So, iron will kill it, but it has to be feeding off a person?”

“Yep. I’ll be bait and when the spirit starts to feed on me, I’ll stab her with an iron knife.”

“No, you might not be able to move, or she could stop you. I’ll be bait and you can take her out. You’ve got more experience than me with this kind of thing. You say this spirit will come at night when a person is asleep. So, I’ll sleep in Kit’s bed tonight and you can hide in the closet.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I have some bullets that will do the trick. They have iron tips, blessed by a pastor.”

“I still can’t believe you do this all the time. If this is real, then there must be more out there we don’t know about.”

“Yeah, but I think you know enough for now. No need to overload your mind. We need to be focused on this spirit and stopping her from killing again.”

“Okay if that’s settled, I need to call the office and let them know where I’m at and mark me out for the rest of the day. You should probably get a little sleep if you’re going to be waiting up tonight.”

“Yeah, I can grab a couple of hours on the couch and then we’ll set up for tonight.”

“I’m going to run home and change clothes and pick some food up for us. Will you be okay here alone? I mean will it attack during the day?”

“I don’t think so, didn’t really find any reference to that. Let’s hope not.”

“I will be back in an hour or so.”

“Alright Sheriff and…Thanks for believing me and the assist. I don’t usually let civilians help with cases.”

“Since you’re alone, it’s better you take my help, so you don’t get yourself killed. This seems like a two person job to me. I am the sheriff and it’s my duty to protect this town.” He headed for the front door and closed it behind him leaving Dean sitting at the bar.

Dean thought about what he had said, and he was right. It was a two person job, he just didn’t want to admit it. He took his coffee and went back to the small living room and sat down on the couch. Right now, he wished his brother was here with him to help and be backup. He thought about Bobby’s words and knew he was right, maybe after this hunt something could be worked out, he didn’t know. He knew Sam left because of what he had done and his fear of relapsing and drinking the blood again.

He sat the cup aside and stretched out hoping he could nap so he’d be alert and ready for tonight. If he figured it right, the Night Hag would come back here tonight for one final feeding before searching for another victim.

**spn**

Dean looked up when Sheriff Bishop stepped from the bathroom in sweats and a tee shirt. He walked silently in socked feet to the bed and pulled the covers back.

“Are you sure you want to do this? I wouldn’t think less of you if you decided to backout. What you’ve learned is a lot to take in for anyone.”

“No, I’m good,” Bishop stated with determination while trying to hide his true feelings.

“It’s okay to be scared Sheriff. Every hunt I go on there’s a risk it might be my last.”

“And you do it anyway?”

“Someone has to,” Dean shrugged. “And I’m good at it.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re out there doing this for us.”

“Yeah, right. So, you understand what you need to do?”

“Yes, get in bed, go to sleep and wait to be attacked.”

“Pretty much. As soon as the Night Nag is corporal, I will kill it. I’ll be in the closet waiting so when it shows I’ll be ready.”

“Just don’t miss.”

“I won’t,” Dean assured him going to the window to open it four inches while Bishop got in bed and covered up. “Sweet dreams.”

“Funny,” Bishop grunted sarcastically as he settled in the bed.

Dean went to the closet and opened the door to look inside. He moved things around in there and took a stool to sit on. He turned off the light and made sure he was positioned where he could see Bishop clearly. He clutched his gun tightly in his hand and got comfortable to wait. He didn’t know how long it would be since the times were all different when the Night Hag came the other five times. He hoped the sheriff wasn’t too anxious to be unable to go to sleep. Dean adjusted the night vision goggles on his head knowing he wouldn’t be able to see when the power went out.

It was several hours later that Dean hear soft noises in the bedroom. He carefully and slowly stood, leaning against the wall until he felt steady on his feet. He moved a step forward and looked out into the bedroom knowing when the Hag started feeding the power would go out. They had positioned a nightlight so Dean could see it and know the feeding had started. He lowered the goggles over his eyes and tensed when he heard the noises again. A shadow moved into his vision and he froze, waiting patiently for his chance. The Night Hag moved to the bed and slowly crawled up the body of the sheriff to where she was straddling him and lowered her head to his face. She began to suck his breath from his lungs and a thin, whitish mist started to rise from his open mouth. Dean saw the nightlight flicker and finally go out.

With a steady hand, Dean raised his handgun and with the help of the night vision goggles drew down on the Night Hag. He squeezed the trigger and the bullet exploded from the barrel on a direct path into the Night Hag’s head. He stepped from the closet and fired two more into her chest, knocking the Hag from the sheriff’s body and off the bed. Dean quickly moved to the pile of rags and put two more rounds into the body for good measure.

The sheriff groaned and set up in the bed, reaching to turn the lamp on by the bed making Dean grunt madly before quickly flipping the goggles out of the way. They both watched as the dead body started to dry and crack and suddenly small, intensely bright orbs slipped from the cracks to hover over the body for a moment. One orb floated in the air and wove up and down before moving toward the sheriff and disappeared into his slightly open mouth. The sheriff swallowed and coughed as he felt his body being restored its energy and essence. The other orbs danced around the bedroom for a moment before finding the open window and disappearing into the night. They were on their way to their rightful bodies at the hospital.

“Is it over?” the sheriff asked swinging his legs off the bed to sit on the side of it.

“Yeah, it’s over,” Dean stated. He looked at all that was left of the Night Hag, a pile of ash amid the robe and cloak laying on the floor.

“I can’t thank you enough for what you did for my town.”

“All in a day’s work. Thanks for the help, it did make it easier.”

“Well, I hope you find your partner again. I don’t see how you can do the job you do alone.”

“I’m heading back to the motel to get a few hours of sleep before heading out.”

“Good luck to you.”

“If you need my help again, you have my contact numbers, call me.”

“Oh, believe me I will. I know when I’m in over my head after what I’ve seen and learned.”

“Take care _Agent Wilson_ ,” Sheriff Bishop told him.

“The name’s Dean, Sheriff. You do the same.”

Sheriff Bishop watched the hunter turn and leave and looked for his boots before heading to the window to watch him get into his black car and drive away. He hoped he found his way back to whoever he had left behind.

**spn**

Dean rolled over in the bed when an annoying buzzing woke him up. “Answer the phone Sammy,” he mumbled before realizing he was alone. He clawed at his cell, finally getting a grip on it and brought it to his ear.

“H’llo,” he mumbled, wondering what time it was.

“Dean, I want to come back,” the familiar voice of his brother spoke to him in a pleading tone.

**The End**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Now we move on to O and this one is a Sam only hunt, though he does get a little help to kill the monster. Thank you for taking this journey with me and I hope you are enjoying the hunts. Comments would be great. NC**

* * *

**O**

It was easy to find a car to steal as he drove away from his brother, too enraged to even speak to him. Dean had lied to him once again. It seemed to be the going thing now, to keep secrets from each other. He couldn’t believe that Dean agreed not to kill Amy and went behind his back and did it anyway. He wasn’t sure if this could be forgiven and couldn’t be around his brother as he worked things out. Yeah, they had the Leviathans to deal with, but this might be something they had to do apart. He had found Amy’s son and helped him get a bus ticket with money Amy had left behind. He was going to go stay with relatives so he wouldn’t be alone and would have family to look after him.

Sam pulled from the parking structure and out onto the road to head away from Ankeny, Ohio, and away from his brother. He never looked back not knowing what or where Dean was going but didn’t really care right now. If this was the end of them, so be it. He would figure out a way to make it on his own and move forward.

The motel wasn’t the best, but he had to conserve what little money he had until he could get some more. Sam knew he could borrow some from their surrogate father, Bobby Singer, if needed, but he hoped to avoid pulling him in to their fight. He got out and went inside to get a room. Sam stepped back out and started to round the corner of the building when he realized no one was moving the car because it was sitting empty, he was alone. He swore under his breath and stomped back to the stolen car to move it around to the back of the building to his room.

Sam opened the door to the room and stepped in to flip on the light and surveyed the room. “Shit!” Sam cussed when he saw two beds sitting in the room. It was automatic, get a room on the first floor, corner if available, two beds. He had been doing it for years and it was hard to break old habits.

Sam moved into the room with a huff and took the bed closest to the door. He had never had this bed before and for once was going to take it. He sat his bags on the other bed and stood between them trying to decide what to do. After a moment, Sam went back out the door and walked to the end of the parking lot looking both ways before strolling toward a diner not far down the road. He was going to grab some takeout and check for any cases nearby. Just because he wasn’t with his brother didn’t mean he couldn’t still hunt.

**spn**

The search program he had set up was running as Sam ate his salad, waiting for it to compile. He sipped his water but couldn’t keep his eyes off the two beds sitting across from him. All it did was make him think of his brother and he gritted his teeth and fought to control the anger wanting to build inside of him. He let his attention go to the screen when it binged and leaned slightly forward as he scrolled down the articles looking for the right one.

Something caught his eye and he stopped and clicked on the article so he could read it. There had been numerous animal attacks in a small town called, Hazelton, Pennsylvania. He went back online to see if there was more information before deciding if this might be a case for him. He found other articles that described bodies being torn to pieces and eaten. Most had their hearts were ripped out and missing. His first thought was a werewolf, but it wasn’t a full moon yet. He considered a pure blood or rouagrou possibly but wasn’t sure if either fit. From the descriptions in the articles, those were no ordinary animal attacks.

Sam pulled up maps to find the quickest route to Hazelton, planning on leaving in the morning to check it out. He scribbled notes and closed out of the program. He threw away his trash and dug through his bag for sleep clothes so he could take a shower, hoping it would ease some of the tension and stress from his body. He stepped into the small bathroom and closed the door, glancing around as he wrinkled his nose from the strong smell of cleaning agents.

The pressure wasn’t the greatest and Sam had to bend over to get his head wet since the shower head was too low. He shampooed his hair and soaped his body before turning the cold lower making the water hotter. He let it beat on his shoulders and neck, feeling the muscles loosen slightly and sighed. Any other time, he would have Dean use his elbow to massage the knots out like only he could, but that was a thing of the past now. He turned the water off and grabbed a rough towel to wipe the water from his body before running it over his head. He stepped out and slipped on his clothes, feeling a little more relaxed and hope sleep would come quickly.

A cloud of steam escaped from the bathroom when Sam opened the door. He stepped into the main room and looked at the beds. A look of determination settled on his face and he went to the bed closest to the door and pulled back the covers. He flipped off the lamp between the beds and slid under the covers to settle. Sam lay there for a moment before turning to his side away from the empty bed and wiggled around trying to get comfortable. He closed his eyes and willed sleep to come.

Ten minutes later Sam flopped back to his back and huffed in disgust, not understanding while he couldn’t go to sleep. For some reason, the bed didn’t feel right. It was lumpy, but not that bad. No, it was something else that couldn’t describe that made it feel wrong to be in this bed. He let his eyes fall on the bed across from him and threw back the covers to get up. Sam moved his bags and turned down the covers to lay down in the bed. It felt right, and he closed his eyes again as sleep took him away. He hardly moved the rest of the night, letting his body get the needed rest it craved. The last scenes he had with his brother played out in the corners of his mind, as he fought to lock them away.

The first rays of morning light were shining through the flimsy curtains, waking Sam. He lay there for a moment allowing his mind to wake before pushing himself up to sit on the side of the bed. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and yawned knowing he needed to checkout and head for Hazelton. He got up and headed for the bathroom first and then changed clothes before packing up his meager possessions.

**spn**

Traffic wasn’t bad as Sam drove northeast but missed having someone to change off with after three or four hours. He sucked it up and only stopped for gas along the way. It was late afternoon when he pulled into the town and slowly drove through it. He decided to stop at the sheriff station before getting a motel room since he wanted to get started on the case.

Sam found the sheriff station and pulled into a visitor’s space and stopped. He started to reach for his fake ID until it dawned on him, they were all in the Impala. He didn’t have any fake credentials to use and didn’t know how he was going to get what he needed from the locals. His brain began to work as he came up with a plan to make this happen.

The first step was to make a call and then he needed to find an office supply business. Sam pulled his cell from his jacket pocket and speed dialed a familiar number. He listened to it ring, waiting for it to be answered.

_“H’llo,”_ a rough, gravel sounding voice answered.

Hey Bobby,” Sam said warmly, picturing him in his mind.

_“Sam, son, how are you doing?”_

“I’m fine. I need your help.”

_“Sure Sam, what do you need?”_

“I need you to call the locals in Hazelton, Pennsylvania and let them know you’re sending a field agent to help with the string of murders in their town.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line and Sam knew Bobby was wondering what was going on. He wasn’t sure how to tell him Dean and him were not together anymore.

_“What’s going on Sam?”_ Bobby asked warily. _“Where’s Dean?”_

Sam drew in a slow breath as he closed his eyes and tried to choose the right words to say. “We’re working apart for now.” He didn’t want to go into details about why they had split.

_“Want to elaborate on that son?”_

“He lied to me again and I’m tired of him doing that. I really need to start working this case. There have been four deaths already in two weeks and it’s not animal attacks like the local seemed to think. I’m sure of it.”

He heard a heavy sigh from Bobby’s end before he spoke again _. “I don’t know what it is with you boys. It always seems like something is tearing you apart when you both know you do better working together. You’re stronger as a team and you know it. Yeah, I’ll call what name are you using?”_ Bobby could hear the silence on the other end and knew he was wasting his breath. Whatever happened this time was not going to be mended that easily. He knew the only thing he could do was help Sam out.

“Agent Cooper. I’ve got to make up some fake credentials so tell them I’ll be by in the morning.”

_“Sam you be careful working a case alone. Do you want me to join you for backup?”_

“No, it’s too far for you to come. I’ll be okay.”

_“What do you think it is?”_

“From what the papers reported I’m thinking a werewolf, but the lunar cycle isn’t right, but maybe it could be a pure blood.”

_“I’m calling around to see if anyone is near enough to help.”_

“I’ll be okay Bobby. I’ve hunted alone before. If it looks like I really need help, I’ll let you know.”

_“And how many times did you end up hurt?”_

Sam didn’t say anything to the question as he pinched his lips together not wanting to answer him.

_“Just like I thought. You keep me posted on what’s going on. Don’t make me come out there and box your ears, you hear me boy?”_

“I hear you Bobby,” Sam sighed knowing he was only trying to look out for him. “Oh, and Bobby, could you maybe wire a little money here for me. There’s a Western Union you can send it to. I’ll pay you back.”

_“Sure, I’ll run into town and do it this afternoon. I’ll text you the information and when it should be there.”_

“Thanks Bobby, and please, don’t call Dean. We need some time apart. It’s for the best.”

_“Alright son, but you check in with me daily, so I know you’re okay.”_

“Of course, Bobby, and thanks.”

_“You just watch yer back and don’t go getting’ yerself killed.”_

“I’ll do my best Bobby, bye.” Sam hung up and put his cell back in his jacket pocket before starting the car and pulling away. He needed to find a place to make his new ID, so he’d be ready to come back in the morning. Sam was berating himself since he realized he had only the basic weapons in his bag. All the others were in the trunk of the Impala. If he was going to keep himself from getting killed, he needed to at least have silver bullets. He knew there was a silver knife in his pack he could use. The first thing he needed to do hopefully was figure out what he was up against.

Sam stepped from the Staples and looked at the fake ID he had made. It wasn’t the best but should pass casual inspection. He pulled his cell out and saw Bobby had sent a text about the money he sent. Sam stepped back into the store and asked directions to the Western Union to go pick it up.

**spn**

It was early morning the next day when Sam pulled back into the visitor’s parking space of the sheriff station and shut off his car. He got out and headed inside hoping Bobby was convincing and he wouldn’t have a problem with the locals.

“Can I help you?” a female deputy asked when he stopped at the front counter in a small waiting area.

“I’m Agent Cooper, FBI. I’m to see your Sheriff,” Sam said. He flashed the badge for only a moment and pocketed it before she got a decent look at it. “He should be expecting me.”

The deputy gave him a curious once over before picking up the phone to call the sheriff. In her opinion, Sam didn’t look like an FBI agent with his long hair, jeans and button up shirt, but he was one hot dude. “He’ll be out in a moment.”

“Thank you…Deputy North,” Sam replied politely, reading her name tag. He moved to take a seat in an empty chair across from the desk. He was nervous and felt the stress building. Sam took a couple of slow breaths as he willed himself to relax and glanced at the deputy to see her watching him with interest. He quickly looked away as he felt his cheeks grow hot. He didn’t want her to think he was checking her out. No, that was Dean’s MO. It was so much easier when there was someone else to help carry off the ruse. He looked up when an older, stout man stepped through the door behind the desk.

“Agent Cooper, your boss called and said you would be stopping by this morning. If you’ll come this way,” the sheriff said.

Sam stood and followed him through the door and through a squad room to a small office in the back. He took a seat across from the sheriff and waited for him to get settled.

“I’m Sheriff Hardin, and I’m surprised the FBI would send an agent to look into animal attack cases.”

“It’s nice to meet you Sheriff, and I don’t question my boss, I just go where he sends me. I’m sure he had a good reason for sending me here.”

“I gotta say you don’t look like what I picture an FBI agent to be.”

“Sorry about the attire. I was working a case a state over and was undercover. I had to play the part and a suit and tie would not have fit in. I was on my way back to the main office when I was called to do this since I was close.”

“Oh, I see. How can I help you?” the sheriff asked seeming to accept his cover story.

“You say the victims were attacked by an animal of some kind. Was it seen by anyone?”

“No, afraid not. All the victims were alone when they were attacked and not found until afterwards.”

Sam had taken a pad out and was taking notes as the sheriff talked. He made sure to note anything that might be relevant to him.

“Were there any links between the victims?”

“This is a small town, a couple knew each other, but didn’t socialize. Another knew the sister of one of the victims. Basically, what you would find in this size town. The victims were all male, early-thirties, healthy, single, and good looking.”

“Can I get a copy of your reports to review?”

“Sure, I’ll have North make copies.” The sheriff phoned to the front and got North on copying the files.

“Did you find any evidence of what kind of animal you think attacked them?”

“That’s just it, there were no hairs, skin, anything to test. All I know is whatever it was had long, sharp claws and razor-sharp teeth. I’ve been in law enforcement for over twenty years and I’ve got to say this were the worse crime scenes I’ve ever seen. I mean some of the bodies…There wasn’t much left of them.”

“I’d like to see the bodies, your morgue is…”

“At the hospital. I just hope you have a strong stomach. You will keep me informed if you find anything.”

“Yes, Sheriff. If you find out anything else, give me a call.” Sam handed over a business card and got up to leave. “I appreciate your help sir. I’ll be in touch.”

“Watch yourself out there, you fit the profile for what this animal likes.”

Sam paused for a moment when he thought about it and agreed with the sheriff. He didn’t know if that was in his favor or not. He shook hands with him and headed back to the front to wait on the files before heading to the hospital. He had seen signs for it on his way over and knew it wasn’t far away. He took a seat again and waited for Deputy North to finish copying the files.

“Here you go Agent Cooper,” Deputy North announced fifteen minutes later. She held out a large envelope to him.

“Thank you Deputy North, you have a nice day,” he nodded taking the envelope.

“You too,” she smiled. “I wrote my number on the front in case you have any questions or need any thing else. Give me a call,” she offered.

“Umm...Thanks,” Sam said. This was normally Dean’s thing to flirt with the women and he wasn’t used to it. He hurried from the office and to his car wanting to get to the morgue and see the bodies and get copies of the autopsy reports. He was going to grab a town map and head back to the motel to map out everything. Sam wanted to see if he could maybe pinpoint where the next attack might happen or possibly where this monster might be hiding.

**spn**

The hospital wasn’t too hard to find, and Sam found a parking space near the rear entrance. He headed inside and checked the signs, following them to the morgue. This was the worse part and he usually let Dean take the lead, but being alone, he had to do it.

The air was cold as he pushed open the double doors and stepped into a short hallway. He looked at the doors and pushed through the next set of double doors into a brightly lit room with two stainless steel tables sitting in the middle of the room. He looked around but didn’t see anyone until an older man stepped from a doorway reading papers on a clip board. Sam cleared his throat getting his attention.

“Can I help you?” he asked looking up to see Sam.

“Yes sir, I’m Agent Cooper, FBI. I’d like to see the animal attack victims please,” Sam told him flipping out his credentials for a few seconds.

“Alright, but it’s not a pretty site.” He went across the room to the wall of doors and read the names tags on the outside before pulling out five drawers.

“While I check the bodies could you make me copies of your autopsy reports please?”

“Sure, maybe you can stop whatever is killing people in this town.” The coroner strolled away to find the files and copy them leaving Sam alone.

**spn**

Sam looked around and found gloves to slip on before moving to the bodies. He frowned when he noticed the outlines of several of the bodies didn’t show a complete corpse. He breathed through his mouth as he uncovered the first victim. Sam swallowed the bile that rose into his throat as he looked at the ravaged body of a young male. Huge chunks of flesh were missing from his legs, arms and abdomen. He pulled out his cell and snapped a couple of photos of the bite marks thinking they looked off. This one had a hole in his chest where his heart should be. Claw marks were randomly scattered over the body like the monster just slashed out wanting to cause as much damage as possible.

He went to the second one and pulled back the sheet to find limbs missing from it. The flesh was pale, ragged and looked like it had been through a shredding machine. He snapped photos as he processed all he was seeing. The savagery of the attacks was throwing him off.

After looking at the other bodies and seeing they were all attacked by the same monster, he stepped back and pulled off his gloves. He was sure there was only one attacker from what he could tell, but he wasn’t sure now what it was.

“Here you go agent, your files, and I thought you might want to see this,” he said holding up a specimen jar. “I pulled this out of one of the wounds.”

Sam took the jar and looked at the strange looking fang. He took a blue glove and laid it on one of the tables so he could put the fang on it to snap photos. The contrast made it easier to see.

“I’ve sent photos of it to the university to see if anyone can identify it, but haven gotten anything back on it yet.”

“Thank you, this is very helpful.”

“I just hope you find it before it kills again.”

“I am going to try, good day.” Sam hurried from the morgue wanting to get back to his room and call Bobby. He was sure the fang was not from a werewolf. It wasn’t shaped right and was razor sharp. He hoped Bobby would be able to identify the monster, so he’d know what he was dealing with.

**spn**

After stopping to pick up a sub and some waters, Sam made his way back to the motel, anxious to put all the facts together to know what he was hunting and if he could find where it might be hiding. He ate half his sub and saved the rest for later as he looked over the reports and started marking locations on the map. He sent an email to Bobby with photos attached to see what he could find out. Sam dialed Bobby’s number and waited for him to answer.

“Hey Bobby, I just sent you an email with some photos. I hope you can help me figure out what I’m hunting here,” Sam greeted him.

_“Hold on, I’m out in the garage, let me get to my office,”_ Bobby grumbled.

Sam could here him moving things and the clank of what were probably tools as he stopped what he was doing and headed inside. He heard the door open and close and Bobby’s footsteps and then the squeak of his desk chair as he sat down.

_“You still alone?”_

Sam knew what he was asking, if he and Dean had gotten past their differences yet or not.

“Yes, if I didn’t have this tooth, I would swear I was dealing with a werewolf,” he said not lingering on his question. “But the violence here goes way beyond what a werewolf would inflict.”

He could hear Bobby’s computer booting up and waited as Bobby clicked on some keys, mumbling under his breath about both of his boys being idjits and hardheaded dumb asses. He jerked the cell from his ear when Bobby’s voice echoed from it.

_“Balls!”_ Bobby swore when he looked at the pictures.

“Bobby, hey are you okay?” Sam asked cautiously not sure what just happened.

_“Hold on a minute,”_ Bobby growled.

Sam could tell he had laid his cell down on the desk and listened to books being moved, papers being shuffled until he came back.

_“Sam, you need to stop this hunt right now until I can get you backup,”_ Bobby insisted, his voice serious and hiding an undertone of fear.

“Why? What is it?”

_“It’s an Okami which means wolf in Japanese. They are kin to a werewolf in that they attack humans, eat their hearts and human flesh. They have razor sharp teeth and can change at any time. They look human and can pass as one. I’ve not seen one outside of Japan, so this is a new one for me. They’re more dangerous than a werewolf Sam, you can’t take this on alone. It’s far too dangerous.”_

“I’ll be fine, how do you kill an Okami?”

_“Tell me about the victims.”_

“What do you mean?” Sam asked puzzled with his question.

_“Who did it kill?”_

“Men, young, good health, handsome…”

_“Who does that remind you of dumbass? You’re live bait for it. If it gets your scent it won’t stop until it kills you.”_

“Okay I’m bait, how do I stop it from killing me?”

_“Being stabbed seven times with a bamboo dagger blessed by a Shinto priest.”_

Sam was silent for a moment as he let those words sink in. He didn’t have a bamboo dagger, nor did he know of a Shinto priest anywhere nearby.

“Anything else?”

_“Well, if you dismember them and separate the body parts so they can’t come back should stop it.”_

“Great, they would have that one trait,” Sam huffed thinking of the Leviathan and how they could regenerate.

_“I’ll pack and will head your way. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”_

“No, Bobby. Look, I’ll figure something out, by the time you get here I can have this case wrapped up.”

_“Son, I know you’re damn good at this job, but everyone has their limits. Call yer brother, maybe with both of you on the case you’ll stand a chance of getting out of this in one piece.”_

“No, don’t call Dean!” Sam demanded harshly.

_“Watch that tone with me boy!”_

“Sorry Bobby, but I can’t work with him right now. I’ll make a deal, if I see it’s going to need two people, I’ll call you. Maybe there’s another hunter nearby that could lend a hand.”

_“You’re as stubborn as yer Daddy was. Alright Sam, but you call me with your progress, or I’ll kick your ass the next time I see you and don’t think I can’t.”_

“I will Bobby. I need to go.” Sam hung up and pulled his laptop over to type in Okami and see what he could find. He wanted to find all he could before having to face the monster. Sam pulled up every website he could and started reading. He sat back in his chair and thought over the facts he was finding. “I need a machete.”

**spn**

Sam grabbed his jacket and headed outside to his car. He needed to pickup a couple of things and needed to see if there was a place that catered to hunters. He headed downtown and started looking for new age shops or ones that sold herbs and spices. He finally found one squeezed in between a florist shop and used bookstore.

A bell jingled over his head as he opened the door and stepped into the shop. His nose was filled with the aroma of spices, herbs and incense. Sam looked to a curtained doorway when a middle age man stepped behind the counter.

“Can I help you find something?” he asked.

“I hope so, I need a few items that you keep in back for special customers,” Sam told him.

“I’m not sure I know what…”

“That sign in your window is for hunters who need certain hard to find items. I’m Sam Winchester.”

The store owner straightened up and looked at Sam with admiration and respect.

“Maybe you’ve heard of my brother and me.”

“I have, it’s a pleasure to be of service to you. What are you looking for?”

“Silver bullets for 9mm handgun and machete should do for now.”

“I think I can handle that. One moment please,” he said before stepping back behind the curtain.

Sam glanced around the store seeing colored candles, books on herbs and spells, minor hoodoo/voodoo items, jewelry and clothes made from natural fibers. He looked back to the curtain when the owner came back out with a wrapped item in his hand.

“This should work for you,” he said laying the bundle on the counter.

“What do I owe you?”

“Fifty dollars.”

Sam pulled some bills from his pocket and gave him the money. He was glad Bobby had sent him some money to get him by until he found other means of income. “Thanks,” Sam nodded picking up the bundle and heading back outside looking up and down the street before heading for the car.

**spn**

The sun was staring to go down casting the world around him into shadows. Sam drove to the other side of the town that was less populated and had several abandoned buildings, along with a scrap metal/junkyard. He had a feeling the Okami was hiding around this area and was going to check it out before trying to set up a trap for it. He parked and got out, looking around at the surroundings. He pulled his gun from his jeans before cautiously walking down the gravel road, looking left and right for any movement.

The attack came suddenly and hard, knocking Sam off his feet. He tried to scramble up as he looked over his shoulder at the Okami as she changed from a beautiful, young woman to a monster. She jumped at him swiping out with a clawed hand catching him on the shoulder. Sam cried out and rolled, bringing his gun up to unload it into her chest. She screamed her rage at Sam before stumbling off into the shadows. The silver bullets didn’t kill her, but they did slow her down and caused some injury.

Sam finally got his legs working and ran for the car, knowing he couldn’t go after her. He was going to need help with this one. He headed back to the motel to see how bad he was hurt. He could feel wetness on his back and swore at himself for letting her get the jump on him.

His shoulder was burning by the time he got back into his room and started shedding his jacket, shirt and tee shirt as he headed for the bathroom. He turned and tried to see in the mirror but all he could see was the smeared blood and the trickle of more that ran down his back. He hung his head and pressed his hands onto the counter trying to figure out how he was going to clean his back wounds and get something on it. He couldn’t tell if it needed stitches or not and he couldn’t go to the emergency room where too many questions would be asked.

Sam stepped back into the other room and looked to the table seeing the envelope laying there. He walked to the table and flipped it open, looking at the written number on it. He huffed and closed his eyes, thinking what choice did he have but to call. Sam picked up his cell and looked down at the number again before dialing it.

“Hello, Deputy North…Agent Cooper…Yes…I was wandering if you could come by my motel room…I need a little help with…I’m in room 7…Alright, I’ll be expecting you…Bye.” Sam hung up his cell and went to his bag to dig out his first aid kid, glad he carried one himself.

Twenty minutes later Sam heard a knock at the door and went to answer it. He hadn’t put his shirt on yet not wanting to bloody another one until his wound was cleaned and dressed.

“Agent Cooper,” Deputy North gasped when she saw his bare muscular chest.

“No, no, I’m sorry, this isn’t what it looks like!” Sam exclaimed holding up his hands. He stepped back so she could step inside and closed the door behind her. “Honest, I just…Crap!”

“So, what do you need help with?” she asked in a sexy voice liking what she saw and wondering why he called her.

“This,” Sam huffed. He turned where she could see his back and heard her gasp in surprise. He jumped when warm fingers ran carefully over his back where the gash was.

“What happened?” she questioned

“I’m not sure you want to know. Think you can patch me up?” he asked innocently not wanting to involve her any more than he had to.

“Sit down, I’ll get a wet cloth and towel,” she told him going into the bathroom to get what she needed to clean his wound so she could see how bad it was.

Sam pulled a chair from the table and straddled it, so his back was exposed and waited for Deputy North to come back. He was trying to come up with a good excuse for the injury when she came back into the room.

“This may hurt,” she advised him.

“I’ve had worse. I’m hoping it’s not that deep and doesn’t need stitches.”

“I can drive you to the ER if you do.”

“Think you could do it if needed?”

“What?” she questioned.

“If it was where I could reach it I would do it myself.”

“Why am I not surprised,” she said rolling her eyes thinking there was more to this guy than meets the eye. And she wondered what he meant by, he had worse than this.

Deputy North placed a warm hand on his shoulder as she leaned closer to wipe the dried blood from his shoulder. The wounds were about six inches long and not as bad as she thought. Blood only leaked from the middle where it was the deepest. She studied them once the blood was washed away and was sure they were claw marks.

“I don’t think it needs stitches, but do you have something I can use to hold together in the worse places?”

“There should be some steri strips in the first aid kit along with pads and antibiotic cream.” He reached for the kit and twitched when Deputy North slapped his arm lightly.

“Hold still,” she chastised him. “I can get it myself.”

“There’s peroxide in there too. You might want to clean it first.”

“This might burn slightly.” She used the towel to catch the liquid as she poured the peroxide carefully over the gashes, watching it bubble up quickly. She could feel Sam tense under her hand and smirked to herself. When it stopped foaming, she poured a little more over it until it stopped bubbling. “Okay, let me dry it and I’ll put the strips on the deepest laceration and the cream. I’d say you got off lucky from the way the other victims looked.”

Sam tried to hold still but each time she touched him he twitched slightly. It wasn’t that it hurt, but feeling her touch made him weak in the knees. It had been a long time since he had been with anyone, but he couldn’t think of that right now. He had to concentrate on the case and not what he was feeling down in his gut.

“You want to tell me how you got these injuries?” she questioned.

“Best if you didn’t know.”

“You’re hiding something, and I think it has to do with what killed those guys.”

Sam stood up when she finished and looked down at the floor, not able to look her in the eyes as he cleared his throat.

“I thought so, spill it. I’m not some helpless female who shirks her job.”

“I can’t…It’s…” he paused trying to come up with the right words as he looked away.

“Are you going after it again?”

“I have to. I’ve got to stop it before it kills again.”

“You’re not doing this alone. I’ll come with you,” she stated firmly.

“No way! It’s too dangerous for you to come,” Sam insisted wincing as he slipped his tee shirt back on. He couldn’t help thinking Dean would like her.

“So, it’s too dangerous for me to go, but it’s okay if you face off with it alone and get yourself hurt of maybe killed?” she shot back crossing her arms over his chest. “Is this a female thing? You think because I’m a woman I’m a damsel in distress and would run away at the first signs of danger?”

“No…I mean…I’m not…” he stuttered as she continued her onslaught.

“Don’t make me call the sheriff and get him involved. I might just have to arrest you for withholding evidence on the cases.”

Sam jerked his head up and looked at her with confusion and uncertainty. He saw the merriment in her eyes but the set, determined expression on her face and knew he wasn’t getting out of this that easy. He didn’t want the sheriff involved if there was any way around it and he didn’t want to put her in danger either, but it looked like he didn’t have a choice.

“I’m a dead shot, if you’re worried about that. I can take care of myself. I had two older brothers growing up and could best both of them.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking Deputy. This is not like anything you’ve ever been up against. It is very dangerous.”

“Okay, now you’ve got my interest peaked,” Deputy North stated as she sat down at the table with him. She glanced down at the papers and the map noticing the markings. “You might as well tell me; I’m not letting you go anywhere alone, unless you want to try and take me and tie me up. Any other time I might just let you,” she smirked watching Sam’s face reddened.

Sam looked at her and saw the stubborn, unwavering look on her face. He rubbed his temple with one hand and tried to decide how to handle this. If he told her the true, her life would be changed forever, and he didn’t want to take that away from her. He thought about what Dean would do and wished he were there to smooth this over. He was always the one that could charm the women and get what he wanted.

“Look…Deputy…Damn…I mean…” Sam stammered trying to get his words out.

“Drink,” North said pushing a half full bottle of water toward him.

Sam grabbed it and fumbled with the cap so he could gulp several mouths full to wet his dry mouth and throat. He drew in a couple long breaths and let them out slowly.

“It can’t be that bad Agent, just say it,’ she encouraged.

“I am hunting an Okami, a female,” he said looking up into her eyes. “That’s why her victims have all been males.”

Deputy North frowned as a puzzled look crossed her face. She mulled over what he said for a moment before speaking.

“Care to explain?” she asked in a strong, steady voice.

“It’s kin to a werewolf and looks human until it turns. It attacks humans and eats the heart and flesh from its victims. And before you ask, no, I’m not crazy or making this up. There are dangerous, supernatural creatures out there in the shadows that most humans are not aware of.” Sam waited a moment to see if she was going to say anything before continuing. “I’m a hunter. There are quiet a few of us out there, who protect the innocent as best we can.”

“So, you’re not FBI?” she questioned. “I have to say I did have my doubts about that.”

“Cover story. Look, I need to get back out there before she finds another victim. I wounded her, but it won’t stop her. I think I know where she’s hiding out and I need to stop her.”

“Let’s go,” North insisted getting up. “I’ve got my weapon in the car.”

“Whoa! No one said you were coming.”

“I’d like to see you try and stop me. You’ve already been hurt once. You can’t do this alone. You need backup.”

“Shit,” Sam mumbled in disgust pretty sure he couldn’t stop her unless he knocked her out and didn’t think that would go over too well. “Fine! But you have to do exactly what I tell you.”

“So, how do we kill it, her, whatever? You do know how to do that right?”

“Yes, but I don’t have the weapon to do it, so the only thing I can do is dismember her body and keep the parts from each other.”

“Ouch! Not a pretty picture,” she replied watching Sam as he pulled a sheathed machete from a bag and slipped it on his belt. “Do I get one of those?”

“No, sorry, only got one. You can take my gun. It’s loaded with silver bullets. If you get the shot go for the head and chest, maybe that’ll give me a chance to take her head off.”

Deputy North accepted the offered handgun and examined it, removed the clip to look at it before slapping it back in place. She made sure a bullet was chambered before slipping it into the waist of her jeans. Sam offered her an extra clip in case it was need. She followed him to his car and slid into the passenger seat, waiting for him to get in and start the car.

Sam didn’t say anything as he cranked the car and pulled from the motel parking lot. His mind was racing trying to figure a way to be sure the deputy didn’t get herself killed or him. He saw she could handle a gun, but this type of monster was like nothing she had ever faced. He didn’t even know if she went out in the field or only worked the office. He knew how male officers treated the female ones and how they had to prove themselves in a man’s field.

**spn**

It was getting late and there weren’t many vehicles on the road as Sam headed back to the scrape yard. He was sure that was where the Okami was hiding letting her wounds heal. If he could find her while she was still weak, he might have a better chance of killing her.

The area was dark, except for several outside lights casting an eerie glow around the business. Sam stopped the car and turned it off. He sat there a minute deep in thought before speaking.

“Deputy, if something happens to me, you run like hell and get out of here.” He handed her the keys for the car. “Call my brother Dean, his number is on my cell and in the glovebox there. Tell him what you know, and he’ll come and kill it.”

“You have a brother who does this too? Why aren’t you two together?”

“Long story I don’t want to get into right now. Just promise me you’ll save yourself.”

“But…”

“No, no, buts. I won’t have your blood on my hands. If it looks like I’m done for, you have to survive to get help.”

“Alright, I don’t like it, but I promise,” she huffed madly.

“She is stronger than a human and quick. Don’t underestimate her and whatever you do don’t hesitate, that could cost you your life or mine.”

“I’ll have your back; you just don’t try and be a hero.” The deputy got out of the car and looked around the deserted business. She waited for Sam to come around the car and move toward the gate. She watched him look at the lock before pulling out some tools and picking it. He let the chain drop to the ground and pulled the gate open only wide enough for them to squeeze through.

Sam’s senses were on high alert and his hunter instincts kicked in as he pulled the machete from his belt and held it tightly in his right hand. He moved silently through the place listening for any sounds that would tell where the Okami might be hiding. He could sense the deputy at his side and glanced her way for a second to see she had his gun out and was scanning the area too.

The machinery stood silent and cast in shadows making it hard to see deeper into the building. The nightlights made the place seem even more ominous and creepy, as it creaked and settled around them. North stayed close to Sam but still gave room to maneuver if they were attacked.

Shuffling noises ahead of them caught Sam’s attention and he moved slowly by a conveyor belt with the machete ready to defend them. She came from above when they least expected it, dropping down on Sam and knocking him to the floor. She growled and screeched her rage as she jumped on Sam digging her clawed hand into his bicep making him cry out in pain. They rolled around on the floor as Sam fought her off until he was on his back and used all his remaining strength to hold her mouth full of razor-sharp teeth away from his throat.

The loud blast of a handgun echoed through the building as the deputy started shooting, aiming for the head and chest when the Okami stumbled up. Sam could feel the air being disturbed above him as he froze not wanting to get shot. The energy of the shots knocked the Okami off Sam and he scrambled for his machete. As the last shot died away, Sam used both hands to swing the machete at the Okami’s neck with enough force to sever the head that bounced across the room while the body crumbled to the floor.

Sam was breathing hard as he stumbled back against the conveyor belt to keep himself upright. He looked down the black path and saw the huge, spiked wheels that were used to crush, rip, and pulverize scraps of metal.

“See if you can find the switch to turn this on,” Sam told North as a plan formed in his head.

“Alright,” she said. North skirted around the headless body, eyeing it in disgust. She went down to the end where the control panel sat and quickly looked it over before pressing several buttons. She looked toward Sam when a whirling and grinding noise filled the silence and after a moment the belt began to move.

Sam watched it start up and the saw the belt slowly began to roll by. He grabbed the body and tossed it onto the moving path. When the body was pulled into the grinder, blood, flesh, bone and scraps of clothes began to spray out decimating it to mush. Sam looked around and found the head and sat it on the belt watching as it moved toward the huge wheels and disappeared out of sight.

“Turn it off!” he called to North, making a cutting sign across his throat. Sam waited as the noise died away and clutched his arm where he was clawed. He waited for North to join him before straightening up.

“Are you alright?” she asked seeing Sam holding his arm tightly as blood dripped between his fingers.

“It’s nothing,” he told her.

“Is that it? Is it gone?” she asked looking toward the bloody pile at the end of machine.

“Yeah, it’s over,” he sighed, with relief that he made it with only minor injuries.

“What now?”

“I pack up and leave. It’s not good to hang around once a hunt is done.”

“You’re not going anywhere until I look at your arm. I won’t have you bleeding out somewhere on the interstate.”

“I’m fine, I’ll bandage it before I leave.”

“I’m here, besides, I’ve got to ride with you back to the motel to get my car. I do have the keys. Might as well let me look at it,” she said.

Sam didn’t feel like arguing and gave in with a short nod and let her help him to the car. North got Sam into the passenger side and moved to the driver’s side to get in. She cranked the car and pulled away from the scrapyard to head back to the motel.

“I need to text Bobby to let him know it’s done,” Sam said. He got his cell out and began to type a brief message so he wouldn’t worry or send another hunter his way. He read the reply before stuffing it back into his pocket.

**spn**

North pulled the car into a parking spot in front of the room and went around to help Sam out. He pulled a key from his pocket and let her unlock the door.

“Go ahead and get your jacket and shirt off so I can check your arm,” she told him. “I’ll wash my hands.”

Sam watched North take off her jacket and head into the bathroom as he pulled his own jacket off knowing it needed replacing now from the blood and slash marks. He grimaced in pain from his back and arm when he worked on getting his outer shirt and tee shirt off. He wasn’t sure if the wounds on his back had broken open in his fighting or not, but the gashes smarted. He looked to his arm and saw the slash marks marring his skin.

“Okay, let’s have a look,” North told him. She carried a towel and wet cloth to clean the wounds.

“Better check my shoulder too. I may have made them worse.”

“Let me see,” she said pushing him forward slightly. “It’s not bleeding, just oozing, so I’ll doctor your arm first.”

Sam watched her pull the peroxide back out of the first aid kit and sit it by him. She gently wiped away the blood and pursed her lips as her brows arched together as she worked. He could help but notice how good looking she was and even more so as she busied herself patching him up. He tried to sit still, but his body ached, and he had to shift in the chair.

North cleaned his arm and found butterfly bandages in the kit to use on the wounds on his arm. She placed a pad over it and wrapped gauze around it for protection. She moved behind him and pushed him a little forward again to look at the places on his back. They looked red and raw, but the steri stripes still held the worse part together. She applied more cream and taped pads over them.

“Now,” she said, surprising Sam as she straddled him and looked into his face with sexy blue eyes. “Do you really have to leave tonight? I mean, the room is paid for and you can just as easily leave in the morning.” North ran her fingers down his bare chest, tickling his ribs and letting them dance back up his body feeling him respond to her touch.

Sam was taken by surprise when North moved and sat down in his lap, straddling him. He looked into her sultry eyes and saw lust and a need there. He sucked in a sharp breath as her finger played up and down his body and a warm stirring started to build inside of him. He reached a hand to cup her neck so he could pull her to him and kiss her, gently at first and then with more passion. She returned his kiss as she ran her fingers through his hair to hold his head.

They broke apart so each could draw in a sharp breath. Sam grabbed North’s tee shirt and tank top to pull them over her head and toss aside. He freed her pinned up hair, letting it fall around her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body into his. He could feel her warm skin rub against his and felt the fire building inside grow stronger. He captured her lips again and buried his fingers into her hair. Her body was lean and fit and was a perfect match to his. His hand played up and down her back, pulling her body against his hard erection, making her groan with desire as she pressed harder into him.

With one swift movement, Sam scooped North’s body up and moved them to the bed to be more comfortable. Any thoughts of leaving escaped Sam and they shut the rest of the world out as they finished undressing each other and spend the night making passionate love.

**spn**

Sam groaned as he started to stir the next morning. He looked where the warm body had laid against him during the night and saw it was empty. He reached and picked up a folded note from the pillow to read.

_‘Agent Cooper,_

_Last night was amazing and I will not be forgetting it for a long time. Duty calls and I didn’t want to wake you. If you are ever back this way, well, you have my number._

_Deputy North’_

Sam laid back and let his mind wander back over the events of last night as a small smile played across his face. He knew he needed to leave before anyone decided they needed to talk to him. He pushed up from the bed and plotted toward the bathroom naked, to get a quick shower feeling in the best mood he had in a long time.

Thirty minutes later, Sam opened the door letting out the steam and went to his bag for the last of his clean clothes. He quickly dressed and gathered up everything stuffing it in his bags. He gave the room one more quick sweep before shouldering his bag and carrying his laptop bag to the car. Sam dropped into the driver’s seat and turned on the car. He turned down the radio but the words coming from it caught his attention _. ‘…two unexplained deaths in_ _Lily Dale, New York, famed to have the most psychics than anywhere in the country. If they were psychics, then why didn’t they see it coming…’_

That was enough for Sam. He headed from the parking lot picking up the road north toward Lily Dale, New York.

**The End**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I hope everyone is braving the storm out there. We will get through this with everyone pulling together and helping each other. I am trying to post sooner for those who are at home in hopes to give you a little break from the boredom. I hope you enjoy this letter and if you will leave me a comment. NC**

**========================================================**

**P**

It had been late when the brothers got back to the motel after finishing the hunt they were on. Both were moving slowly and limping from their supernatural encounter and planned on sleeping in that morning before getting up to head out.

Dean was snoring loudly since his nose was swollen from being smashed into a wall. Sam was on his stomach with his head smushed into a pillow breathing heavily through his mouth. He jerked when a buzzing broke through his dream and woke him enough to raise his head to see what it was.

“Answer your phone,” he grunted at his brother.

Dean grunted and smacked his lip but didn’t wake as he settled back down.

“Dude,” he grumbled in irritation when Dean didn’t get his cell. He huffed madly and rolled over enough to reach the cell without falling out of his bed. “H’llo,” he mumbled into the cell.

_“Sam, thought I dialed Dean; Jody Mills, did I wake you?”_ Jody asked greeting him.

“Hey Jody. Yeah, you did…” Sam yawned half listening to her. “He’s still sleeping, late night.”

_“Sorry about the call. I may have a case for you guys if you want to call me back when you’re up.”_

“Sure Jody, no problem, I’ll do that,” Sam mumbled hanging up and rolling back over let the cell slip under the blanket and settle against his side. He curled up and drifted back to sleep, thinking a couple more hours wouldn’t hurt.

**spn**

“Hey! Get up, we need to head out,” Dean told his brother, slapping his leg. “You seen my cell? I was sure I left it on the nightstand.”

“I’m up,” Sam mumbled, rolling his head to look at his brother and not really hearing what he was saying. He moved around a little and wince with the soreness of his body still.

Dean looked around the nightstand and bed but didn’t find his cell. He looked at the chairs and saw Sam’s jacket hanging on one. He strolled to the chair and patted the pockets looking for his cell. After finding it, Dean pulled it out and pulled up Sam’s contacts to speed dial his cell.

Sam didn’t want to get up yet, and he prolonged forcing himself from his bed. He suddenly jumped and looked around in surprise, like he had been shocked, when something began to vibrate and buzz under his lower back. Sam reached his hand under the covers and felt around and pulled Dean’s cell out, still vibrating.

After Dean dialed his number, he looked around and listened waiting for it to start buzzing. He looked to his brother when he almost jumped from his bed and frowned when Sam pulled his cell from under his covers. He couldn’t understand why his brother was sleeping _with his cell._

“What the hell Sammy? Are you taking naked pics of yourself with my cell?” Dean questioned in an irritated voice.

“What?...I don’t…That’s…” Sam sputtered madly as he tossed Dean his cell and rolled his eyes at him.

Dean batted the cell to his bed and used the sheet to wipe it down like it was dirty. “May have to sterilize it before I use it again,” he mumbled in disgust. “Next time you wanna get you rocks off use your own damn cell bro.”

“Really dude! That’s gross! Get your mind out of the gutter,” Sam fussed getting ill at his brother’s raw humor.

“You’re not naked under there are you? ‘Cause if you are…”

“Screw you jerk!” he growled pushing the covers back to sit up on the side of the bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Dean examined his cell with a critical eye, holding it between two fingers.

When he was sure it was clean, Dean pulled up the call history and looked at the last contact made. “Hey bitch, what did Jody want?”

Sam was starting to stand and stopped in mid upward motion. His mind wasn’t quite woken up and he froze as he pulled up memory. “She may have a case for us. One of us needs to call her.” He stood the rest of the way up and stretched before moving toward the bathroom.

“You could have told me that sooner.”

“I’m not awake yet,” Sam retorted closing the door to the bathroom.

Dean hit redial and waited for Jody to answer.

_“Dean, thanks for calling me back,”_ Jody said.

“Hey Jody, no problem, would’ve called sooner, but Sammy had a lapse of memory and we slept in.”

_“That’s alright, you deserve to sleep in sometimes.”_

“So, what’s this about a possible case?”

_“I’ve got a high school friend that lives about five hours from Sioux Falls, in Waterloo, Iowa, and she called me yesterday. It seems something is attacking her daughter in their home. They called the police, but nothing was found in the house. No one can explain what is happening to her. The cops investigated her and her husband for possible child abuse, but nothing came of it. They’re terrified for their daughter. Think you can go by and check it out?”_

“Of course, Jody, why don’t you text me the name and address and we’ll be leaving shortly,” Dean told her.

_“Thanks Dean, I owe you.”_

“You’re family Jody, you know we’ll do what we can to help.”

_“Well, next time you’re back this way, come by and I’ll fix you a homecooked meal.”_

“I will take you up on that. You know I can’t ever pass up a homecooked meal.”

_“I’ll send you the information and I’ll call Carrie to let her know you’ll be coming by to help.”_

“Bye Jody.”

Sam stepped from the bathroom as Dean was hanging up his cell. “Was that Jody?”

“Yeah, we’re going to see one of Jody’s friends from high school. Something is attacking her daughter and the cops can’t find anything. We’re about six hours from where she lives, better get started.”

“Alright, I’ll get my things together.” Sam gathered his clothes and stuffed them in his duffle and looked around to be sure he got everything.

“Give me a sec,” Dean said. He headed into the bathroom and closed the door to do his routine so they could leave. He was out fifteen minutes later and snagged his duffle and weapon’s bag before heading for the door. “Let’s go.”

Dean unlocked the trunk to deposit their bags and went around to the driver’s door and unlocked it. He reached over and did the same to the passenger side so Sam could drop into the seat. They got comfortable and Dean cranked up his Baby to head west toward Waterloo, Iowa, and possibly their next case.

**spn**

It was almost dusk when Dean drove into Waterloo, Iowa. They worked their way through the town to a housing development on the other side and drove slowly down the streets until they found the address Jody had sent them. He pulled to a stop in the driveway and shut off the car. They got out and walked up the walkway to the porch. Sam ran the bell and waited for it to be answered. They could hear movement on the other side of the door and saw the curtain twitch like someone was looking out.

“Hello,” Dean said when a middle-aged man opened the door. “We’re friends of Jody Mills. I’m Dean and my brother Sam. She asked us to come by and see if we could help.”

“Good, hello, come on in,” he greeted them seeming a little flustered and scared. “My wife and daughter are in the family room.” He led them from the entryway and through a doorway into the family room where a woman and young girl of around fourteen sat on a couch. “Honey, Jody’s friends are here.”

“Hello, I’m Carrie, my daughter Sadie, and you’ve met my husband Randy,” Carrie introduced them as she stood to shake Dean’s hand and then Sam.

“Dean, and my brother Sam,” Dean nodded shaking Carrie’s hand.

“Carrie,” Sam said. “Hi Sadie,” he spoke softly to the daughter.

“Have a seat,” Randy said taking a seat by his daughter who was sandwiched between her parents.

“Thank you for coming. I didn’t know what else to do or who to call about what is happening to Sadie. We contacted the police, but they thought we were crazy or imaging things.”

“Can you tell us when this started and what has been happening?” Sam asked looking at Sadie who had her eyes downcast as she sat stiffly between her parents.

“It started about a month ago,” Carrie started. “It wasn’t anything big at first, funny noises in the house at all times of the day or night. We’d get woke up in the middle of the night with banging and couldn’t find where it was coming from. Then, things started getting moved around or hidden in the house. We never saw it happen or anything, but none of us did it. Last week Randy had silverware thrown at him and me a coffee cup. I know this sounds crazy and hard to believe…”

“No, it doesn’t, Sammy and me have seen things like this before. You’re not crazy and we believe you,” Dean said honestly.

“This week it got worse,” Randy added, worry in his voice. “Sadie, honey show them,” he encouraged his daughter, putting an arm around her shoulders.

“It’s okay Sadie, you can show us,” Sam said softly, giving her a gently smile.

Dean and Sam watched as Sadie leaned forward and pulled up one of the sleeves of her shirt. They frowned when she pulled a large pad loose from her arm and showed them a bite mark on her arm. She pressed the pad back in place and then leaned back to raise up her shirt to show her stomach. Scratched into her stomach was the word, _‘Mine’_.

“Okay, I need you to pack your bags and leave the house. Go on a vacation or visit family until we get this taken care of,” Dean told them leaving no room for objections. “Sadie needs to get out of this house.”

“Alright, we can do that,” Randy nodded looking to Carrie as they nodded in agreement. “I’ll call work on the way out and let them know I’ve had a family emergency.”

“There’s food in the fridge and freezer in the garage, help yourself while we’re gone. You can use the guest bedroom and our bedroom to sleep.”

“Alright, thanks.”

“You say this started up about a month ago. Did anything strange happen or change around here? Or nearby?” Sam asked noticing Sadie’s guilty facial expression.

Dean looked to Sam and silently communicated to him when he saw it too.

“Hey Sadie, why don’t you show me where the bedrooms are and where things are in the kitchen, while my brother talks to your parents?” Sam asked holding out his hand.

Sadie looked to her parents, hesitating until they nodded it was okay. She got up and took Sam’s hand and led him out of the room and down a hall.

Dean watched them go and waited until they were out of ear shot and turned back to Carrie and Randy.

“What’s going on?” Carrie asked looking suspiciously at Dean.

“I think Sadie knows something she’s not telling us because she doesn’t want to get in trouble with you. Sammy’s good with kids and he’ll find out what she’s hiding.”

“Will taking Sadie away will keep her safe?” Randy asked.

“It should. Wherever you go, buy some containers of salt and put a line at the windows and door to Sadie’s room. That will keep any unwanted spirits out.”

“Spirits? You mean a ghost is haunting our house?”

“Maybe, that’s what we going to find out.”

**spn**

“This is the guest bedroom,” Sadie said softly when she stopped at a doorway.

Sam looked into the room and saw a queen size bed and other bedroom furniture. “This is nice.”

“The bathroom is over there,” she pointed. “My Mom and Dad’s bedroom is down at the end and it has its own bathroom.”

“Thank you for helping me Sadie.”

“You’re welcome.”

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen, I’ll be fifteen in four months.”

“Wow, so you’re in high school.”

“Yeah.”

“Sadie, did something happen about a month ago that you haven’t told your Mom and Dad?” Sam questioned her.

Sadie stopped walking and kicked at the floor with her sneaker as she rolled the hem of her shirt.

“It’s okay, I won’t say anything. You’re not in any trouble sweetie.”

“Mom let me invite a few friends over for a sleepover…” she started his voice low.

“What happened?”

“One of my friends brought a Ouija board…And…We tried to use it,” she whispered. “I didn’t think it worked.”

“It’s okay Sadie. Why don’t you show me the kitchen,” Sam suggested when he saw her getting upset. Now it was starting to make sense. They were fooling around with magic that they knew nothing about. There’s no telling what was unleased in this house.

Sadie showed him the kitchen and where the pots and pans were, the freezer in the laundry room and where the coffee and filters were for the coffee pot. Her parents and Dean joined them in the kitchen to get Sadie so they could pack.

After they headed for the bedrooms, Dean turned to Sam to find out what he knew.

“What’d you find out?”

“Sadie and some of her friends were messing around with a Ouija board before all this started.”

“Well, that’s just freaking great!” Dean growled throwing up his arms in disgust. “When will these kids ever learn to not mess with things they know nothing about?”

“I agree,” Sam huffed. “After they leave, I guess we need to do some research on this place and see if there might any deaths around here or in this house. Pretty sure we’re dealing with a spirit here, but don’t remember them getting that violent to attack Sadie like that.”

“Agree. Main thing is to get Sadie to safety and take care of the problem,” Dean agreed. He looked in the fridge and pulled out a water offering it to Sam and tossing it his way before turning back to get his own.

The brothers were sitting at the bar in the kitchen when Carrie, Randy, and Sadie came back with bags over their shoulders. They looked at the brothers with haunted and scared eyes, not sure what to say.

“Here’s our cell numbers if you need anything,” Carrie said. She pushed a folded paper toward them, and they couldn’t help but see the trembling in her hand. “I put clean towels in the bathrooms and there’s more in the linen closet.”

“It’ll be okay. We’ll call you when it’s done.”

“Go have a good time and try to relax.”

“Thank you,” Carrie said putting an arm around her daughter.

“Thanks,” Randy added before guiding his wife and daughter toward the door to the garage.

The brothers watched them go and sat there until they heard the garage door open and close before getting up to get their bags to get started. Sam showed Dean where the bedrooms were and let him have the master, happy with the guest bedroom. He brought his laptop back to the kitchen and set it on the bar to use. Dean decided to check the house out looking for any signs of the spirit.

**spn**

After wandering through the house and checking out the garage and deck, Dean joined Sam at the bar to see what he found.

“You find anything helpful?” Dean asked.

“No, the whole area is clean. Nothing has happened here that would warrant a spirit haunting the place,” Sam started. “But I did a little more research and I don’t think we’re dealing with our usual spirit.”

“I’m not going to like what you found, am I?”

“Nope, I think we’re dealing with a Poltergeist. It all fits, the loud noises, things moving, being thrown, the attacks on Sadie with the biting and the words carved into her stomach. It must have been summoned when they were fooling around with the Ouija board.”

“Shit! Not what I wanted to hear. So, how do we stop it?”

“I don’t know for sure. They’re usually invisible and they like to torment people.”

“Maybe we should give Bobby a call.”

“Maybe we should call Missouri. She did help with the one that was in our old home a few years back.”

“True, but we don’t have another spirit to cancel it out this time. Guess we’re going to have to figure something else out.”

“Dean, what if it doesn’t like us staying here?” Sam whispered looking around the room suspiciously.

“We salt the doors and windows of the bedrooms to keep it out.”

“You think that will work?”

“I don’t know. I say we fix something to eat and take it one step at a time.” Dean got up and went to the fridge to see what he could find for dinner. He pulled out some leftover lasagna, salad and found some rolls in the freezer.

While he fixed dinner for them, Sam continued to research Poltergeist hoping to find something useful. He was going to call Missouri the next day to get the ingredients for the gris-gris bags they would need to use and see if she had any other information that might be handy.

Sam looked up as Dean sat plates and silverware at the bar and looked at him with a steady gaze. It took Sam a second to realize he wanted Sam to move his laptop out of the way so he could put out the plates and serve dinner.

“Sorry,” Sam apologized pushing his laptop aside. The smells of the food had his mouth watering and his stomach grumbling.

“Okay, lasagna for me,” Dean said happily. “And rabbit food for you,” he continued his voice going monotone.

“You know it wouldn’t hurt to eat better. It can’t always be meat at every meal.”

“And why not. Might as well enjoy life while I can. It’s my body.”

“Suit yourself,” Sam shrugged. He put salad on his plate with a small amount of lasagna and a roll. He had taken a bite of salad and was chewing when Dean growled out loudly making him choke.

“Sonovabitch! It’s vegetarian! What’s the fun of that?”

Sam was coughing and trying to clear his throat and to not laugh at his brother’s facial expression.

“What’s wrong with you?” Dean quizzed slapping him on the back hard.

“N’ing,” Sam gasped out as he wheezed out a breath and was finally able to breathe again.

“Guess can’t let it go to waste, if there’s not meat in this house, I’m going to the store in the morning,” Dean continued to grumble as he ate the lasagna and even took a few bites of salad.

Sam got up to take his dirty dishes to the sink and start some water to wash them when he was hit in the back with something. He turned around to complain to his brother and saw him standing nearby with his gun drawn, ready to dodge anything thrown.

“You okay?” he asked Sam not taking his eyes off the rest of the room. They both heard strange noises in the other room and what sounded like something scratching at the walls.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Sam replied picking up a pepper shaker from the floor. “Don’t think he wants us here Dean,” Sam said. He was staring at the sliding glass door that had suddenly frosted over and ‘GET OUT’ was printed on it.

Dean turned to look when Sam poked him and pointed to the glass door.

“Check to see if there’s any salt in the cabinet. We’re staying in the master bedroom tonight and will deal with this tomorrow.”

Sam turned and opened cabinets until he found two containers of salt and a bag of rock salt.

“Got it.”

“Stick the dishes in the sink and let them soak.”

“Alright,” Sam said. He quickly did what Dean wanted and they both moved toward the hallway to the bedrooms. “I’ll get my bag and meet you in the master bedroom.”

“Be careful, I don’t think it likes to play around,” Dean cautioned him opening a container of salt and backing down the hall toward the master suite. It had a king size bed, bathroom and television, all they would need to hold up until the morning. He went in pouring salt across the doorway and hurried to do the two windows across the room. He looked up to see Sam in the hall starting to step over the salt line but was suddenly thrown backwards. “Sammy!” Dean yelled running to the door. He saw Sam on the floor clawing at his throat as his face started turning red. “Close your eyes!” Dean demanded. He threw the remaining salt he had over Sam and suddenly he was gasping for air. Dean grabbed him and got him into the bedroom, being sure the salt line remained intact. He pushed Sam toward the bed and took the rock salt to add an additional line at the door before closing it and putting a line on the inside of the room too. “You alright Sammy?”

“Yeah,” Sam whispered hoarsely as he rubbed his throat and coughed.

“I’ll get you some water.” Dean returned from the bathroom with a cup of water and handed it to Sam.

“Thanks,” he rasped out taking the cup and sipping on the water, wincing as his throat hurt when he swallowed.

“We should be okay in here until morning.”

“Good.”

“Guess we can watch some tv,” Dean said. He looked around for the control and turned it on as he dropped on the other side of the bed. He flipped through the channels until he found a rerun of Dr. Sexy, MD, and settled down to watch it.

Sam rolled his eyes at his choice and rummaged around for sleep clothes deciding on a shower, hoping it would take some of the tension out of his body. His mind was still working on a way to stop the Poltergeist after what he had read about them. They weren’t like the usual ghosts or spirits the brothers had dealt with over the years. They were much meaner and nastier and harder to get rid of.

**spn**

The water felt good as he stepped into the shower stall, pleased to see the shower head was high enough he didn’t have to bend down to wet his hair. He let it run as hot as he could take it, feeling the tension being beat from his shoulders. He sighed with relief and stood a few minutes longer before washing up and shutting the water off. He grabbed a towel and dried before putting on sleep clothes and running the towel through his wet hair. Sam hung the towel on a rack and used his fingers to comb his hair before heading back into the bedroom.

Dean gave him a sleepy glance before his eyes rolled back to the television screen. He was almost asleep until something was thrown in the hallway outside the bedroom door.

“Hope it doesn’t plan on doing that all night or it’s going to get annoying,” Dean grumbled.

“Hope it doesn’t wreck the house before we can get it out of here.”

“Those things can be replaced. Sadie on the other hand can’t, so I think they’ll be okay.”

“That’s very profound of you Dean.”

“I have my moments, what can I say.”

Sam pulled the covers back and got in bed, trying to decide if he could sleep or if he wanted to watch television. His body was relaxed, and Dean had the sound down low so it wouldn’t bother him. He looked over when Dean grunted as he got off the bed to head for the bathroom, grabbing sleep pants along the way. He settled down watching as someone was rushed into the ER from a car accident and wondered why Dean liked this show so much. He didn’t hear or see Dean come back into the room and get back into bed.

**spn**

“Hey bro, wake up. We need to see what damage was done last night and come up with a plan,” Dean called to Sam as he jostled him awake.

“I’m up,” Sam grumbled smacking at his hand as he rolled over not wanting to wake up yet.

“Nope, not falling for that,” Dean told him pulling the warm covers from his brother’s body.

“Dude!” Sam complained when he felt the cool air rush over his body.

“I’m going to start some breakfast, if I have to come back….”

“I hear you, jerk…” Sam sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Dean headed for the door.

“Bitch…” he called back as he opened the door and looked both ways before stepping into the hall.

Sam looked at the clock and saw it was later than they usually slept so he really couldn’t fuss at Dean. He decided to give Bobby a head’s up and see if he could find anything to help them. He got up and found his cell and speed dialed him.

_“H’lo,”_ a gruff voice answered.

“Hey Bobby,” Sam replied warmly.

_“Sam, son, good to hear from you. How are you and your brother doing?”_

“We’re okay. I’m hoping you can help us on a case Jody gave us.”

_“Sure Sam, what’s the problem?”_

“We’re dealing with a Poltergeist that has latched onto a couple’s fourteen-year-old daughter. It’s attacked her twice now and we need a way to get rid of it.”

_“That’s a tough one. I’ll have to do some reading and get back with you.”_

“Thanks Bobby. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.” Sam hung up the cell and looked around for his jeans and boots. He dressed and headed for the kitchen, stepping over a broken picture frames laying in the hall. He found books knocked off the shelves, pillows tossed about and a broken vase in the family room. “Crap!” Sam exclaimed when he saw the kitchen.

“Grab a broom and start sweeping,” Dean said. “That bastard emptied half the cabinets.”

Sam looked around at the flour, sugar, and assorted food items scattered all over the floor, counters and appliances. He figured the Poltergeist was mad for Sadie being taken away and was destroying the place. He looked at the floor and saw words drawn in the flour, _‘Leave or Die’_.

“Did you see this?”

“Yep, doesn’t look like we’re wanted here, that’s for sure.”

“I called Bobby to see if he could find anything to help.”

“Good, the sooner we get rid of this thing the better.”

“You know if we had something that could produce a positive energy output it might cancel the thing out. Like what happened at our old house with Mom.”

Dean looked at him when he mentioned their mother and frowned for a moment as the memory came back. He pushed it down and kept a neutral expression.

“Like how?” Dean asked.

“I’m hoping maybe a spell of some kind. I don’t think we can get our hands on an EMP.”

“And that is?”

“Electro Magnetic Pulse weapon. You know, you’ve seen them on movies. One is set off and it knocks out all the power in a specific area.”

Dean thought for a moment as he wiped off the counter. “Yeah, seen that and don’t think the government would think kindly of us stealing one of those.”

“So, I’m hoping we can find a spell that will work similar that we can use.”

“There’s someone else we can ask,” Dean stated looking up at Sam.

“Who?”

“Crowley. Think about it, his mother is a witch.”

“Do we have to?”

“We may not have a choice if Bobby doesn’t come through.”

“Crap,” Sam huffed in distaste of having to ask the King of Hell for anything.

They cleaned the kitchen and Dean fixed breakfast; glad the Poltergeist didn’t toss the food in there all over the place. He scrambled some eggs, fried bacon and Sam made toast. They ate in silence, both going over everything in their heads. The dishes were rinsed and put in the dishwasher to be cleaned when it was full. Sam decided to throw a load of clothes in to wash to have something to do. He kept his cell on him, hoping Bobby would get back to them soon.

**spn**

Three hours had past and Sam had finished the laundry, Dean was throwing some lunch together and still Bobby hadn’t called.

“Do we have what we need to summon Crowley?” Sam asked making Dean pause to look at him. “Bobby’s not got back to us and I really don’t want to deal with this thing any longer than we have to. It could really get dangerous for us.”

“Yeah, probably in the back of the Impala. You wanna do this now?” he asked looking at the deli meat in his hand and the bread in the other.

“Yeah, I have a bad feeling about this one.”

“Alright, I’ll go get the stuff then.” Dean put the meat back in the fridge and dropped the bread on the counter. He wiped his hands on his jean’s bottom and headed for the front door.

“I’ll put the sigil in the garage,” Sam called to him as he left. He found some chalk in a drawer and went into the garage to begin drawing the sigil needed for the summoning.

Dean came back in ten minutes later carrying a bag with what they would need. He got out the brass bowl and Sam started sorting through the ingredients and handed them to Dean one at a time. Dean set the candles around the sigil, lighting them, and put the bowl in the middle before adding what Sam handed him one by one. He pulled his knife out and cut his finger to let his blood drip into the bowl. He pulled out a match and lit it as he recited “Et ad congregandum…eos coram me,” and threw in the match.

Smoke bellowed up from it and blinded the brother for a moment before it began to disperse. Sam and Dean looked around the garage to see if Crowley would show. Doing the summoning didn’t mean he would come.

“Well, boys, why the bat signal?” Crowley asked looking at them with a smug expression.

“Believe me if we had any other choice…” Dean growled.

“Squirrel, I’m hurt.”

“Can it, Crowley,” Sam butted in. “Do you know of any spell that would expel a poltergeist?”

“Why? One bothering you?” he asked.

“No, but there is one haunting a fourteen-year-old girl that lives in this house. We need to get rid of it,” Sam explained.

“And why do you think I would know how to do that Moose?”

“Your mother is a witch Crowley. If anyone would know, you would.”

Before Crowley could answer a screwdriver flew through the air and barely missed Dean who jumped to the side. Sam ducked when a hammer grazed his arm as he threw himself to the side. They went on the defensive watching for any more flying object until Crowley spoke a few words in Latin and snapped his fingers.

“What did you do?” Dean asked.

“It won’t stay quiet for long. I will see what I can find,” Crowley told them before disappearing from the garage.

“Let’s clean up Sammy and get some lunch,” Dean told him blowing out the candles and looking for a trashcan to dumb the ash from the bowl.

Sam found a bucket and rag and went to get some water to wash the sigil from the floor. He finished cleaning the floor while Dean took the things inside. He was making sandwiches when Sam strolled back into the kitchen.

“Wash your hands,” Dean told him as he cut a sandwich in half and put it on a paper plate.

Sam went to the sink and washed his hands before taking a seat at the bar. Dean sat a plate and drink in front of Sam and moved to sit beside him. A cell started ringing and Sam snatched it up to answer it.

“Hello,” Sam answered.

_“Sam,”_ Bobby greeted him. _“Bad news, I’ve not found anything yet that can help you.”_

“I was afraid of that. We’ve got another contact that’s looking into it for us.”

_“I hope they have better look than me. I’ll keep looking and if I find anything, I’ll call you back.”_

“Thanks Bobby,” Sam hung up and shook his head at Dean that Bobby didn’t find anything of use.

“Let’s hope Crowley come through then,” Dean huffed munching on a pickle.

“I did find a ritual to cleanse a home like Missouri did our old house. We don’t have all the ingredients, so I figured we’d wait to see if Crowley comes through before going to pick up what we need.”

“Well, we can’t do anything else but wait, I guess.”

Sam got up to clean the kitchen and wandered into the family room and over to a bookcase to check out the books. Dean had turned on the flat screen and was watching some talk show. He settled into a comfortable chair to read while they waited.

**spn**

The brothers looked at each other when the doorbell rang. Sam got up and went to the door. He opened it and found a box sitting on the porch but there was no one around. He picked it up and took it inside to show Dean.

“Open it,” Dean said turning off the television.

Sam pulled his knife out and cut the tape to pull the flaps open. Inside he found a folded paper and jars of unknown substances, luckily, they were labeled. Sam opened the paper and looked at a spell.

“Crowley came through,” Sam told Dean happily.

“Let’s do this then,” Dean said rubbing his hands together. “Did he send everything we need?”

“Yes, there’s a few things we have that we will need and some blood from one of us.”

“Guess we need to get it ready and wait for the Poltergeist to come back.”

Sam read through the spell twice and looked at the jars in the box. He moved to the dining room and took out a black cloth with sigils drawn on it and spread it out before putting the bowl in the middle. Dean stood to the side and watched as Sam noted the ingredients and dumped them into the bowl. He double checked he was doing it right before continuing. The last thing needed was blood and took his knife to cut his palm and let his blood drip over the ingredients. He wrapped a bandanna around his hand when he was done. All they needed now was to drop a match into the bowl and hoped Crowley didn’t screw them and the spell worked.

“I’ll get the salt and make a circle,” Dean told him seeing Sam had this. He wanted to try and give them some protection while they waited for the Poltergeist to return. He thought it would not be happy about being stopped by Crowley.

Dean had finished the salt circle and was standing in it with Sam looking around the room. The brothers didn’t know where the Poltergeist might attack from and tried to keep their heads turning, trying to watch all angles.

It was nearly an hour later when the attack started. Sam was stretching and rolling his shoulders, when suddenly a book flew from across the room, striking him in the chest. He stumbled slightly and grunted in pain. Dean moved to defend him with his body.

“Light the thing!” he yelled as he batted another book away.

“I’m trying!” Sam replied as he struck a match only to have it be blown away before it could go in the bowl. He tried again trying to shield the match with his body but still didn’t get it in the bowl.

Neither noticed the salt line being blown away until Dean went stumbling backwards to land on the couch and fall behind it.

“Dean!” Sam yelled as he frantically tried to get a match lit. An invisible force suddenly grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall behind him with such force it left an imprint in the sheetrock. Sam began to claw at his neck as his airway was cut off. He struggled and gasped for a breath that he couldn’t get. His face began to redden from the pressure, and he was on the verge of passing out.

Dean combat crawled around the couch and saw Sam in distress but couldn’t see the Poltergeist attacking him. He dug into his jean’s pocket and pulled out his lighter. He flicked the flint trying to light it and smiled when it finally caught. With a quick flip, Dean sent the lighter into the bowl catching the ingredients on fire. A blinding, golden light spewed upward from the bowl and an intense wave of power blasted outward shaking the house and knocking Dean backward and unconscious.

The wave washed over Sam and suddenly the pressure around his neck was gone. He blacked out and crumbled to the floor trying to pull much needed air into his starved lungs.

**spn**

Dean began to move ten minutes later as he rubbed his ears and tried to ease to a sitting position. He slumped back over and winced trying to stop the ringing in his ears so he could hear again. He blinked rapidly and memory came back of what just happened. His first thought was his brother and if he was okay. Dean tried again to sit up and used the couch for leverage. He started to shake his head but found that caused a pounding pain inside his head. He rubbed his temples and moved his jaw around trying to get his ears to pop.

“Sammy?” Dean called, not sure he was saying it loud enough or not. He steadied himself up on wobbly legs and staggered across the room to his brother’s prone body. “Hey man, you okay?”

Dean carefully turned Sam over and saw the beginning of bruising around his neck. He checked his pulse and breathing noticing how raspy it sounded. He ran his finger into his hair checking for injury and grunted when his fingers came back wet and red. He moved his head enough and parted his hair to see a small gash on the back of it, but nothing serious. Dean continued to move his hands down his limbs and body looking for other injuries but didn’t find any.

“Sammy, hey wake up,” Dean told him tapping his cheeks. When that didn’t work, he hurried into the kitchen and wet a dish towel and grabbed a clean one for the gash on his head. He pressed the smaller one to the back of his head and wiped Sam’s face with the wet one.

Sam groaned and tried to push away the wetness from his face as he tried to get his eyes open. He saw a blurry figure leaning over him and tried to push away. A warm hand cupped his face and was talking to him, but he couldn’t make out what was being said. He couldn’t hear because of the loud roaring in his ears, but once his vision cleared, he saw it was Dean beside him. He raised a hand to his head feeling the large knot on the back of his head.

“Can you hear me?” Dean asked again cupping Sam’s face so he would look at him. He pointed to his ears and asked again, only to get a slight no shake from Sam.

“Gone?” Sam managed to force out trying to focus on Dean. He was relieved when he shook his head yes. He hurt all over and his head was pounding. Sam tried to complain when Dean eased him up and half drug him to the couch and laid him on it. Sam watched his brother through slit eyelids as he went back to the kitchen to wet the towel again with cold water. He came back and laid it across his neck where it was bruising.

Sam tried to swallow and winced at the pain it caused. He couldn’t keep his eyes open but could feel Dean do things around him. He felt his heavy head being lifted and something wet wiping his scalp and a slight burning before something was pressed to the gash. His hearing was still not right as what noises he heard sounded distance and hollow. Sam jerked slightly when something was pushed between his lips. He felt the coldness of ice chips and let them melt in his mouth and sooth his raw throat. He opened his lips slightly and felt the spoon again. Sam relaxed completely and drifted away.

Dean watched his brother for signs of choking as he fed him some ice chips knowing it would help his throat. He had cleaned and put a pad over the small gash on the back of his head and was going to let him lay on the couch and rest. When he saw his breathing even out and his pulse slow, Dean pulled a throw from a chair nearby and cover Sam’s body. He had taken some pain meds but was afraid to give Sam any for fear he might choke on then. Dean decided Sam could take some once he woke up and was more alert.

Once he saw his brother was okay, Dean assessed his own body for injury. He was sore and one wrist hurt, but it didn’t seem like anything major at least. He gathered the bowl and cloth from the floor and sat them on an end table out of the way. At least the house didn’t get destroyed, he thought going to the laundry room for a broom and dustpan. He would try to clean some of the mess up while Sam slept. It seemed the spell worked, but he would give it a couple of days to be sure before contacting the family and letting them come home.

Dean looked around when a cell started ringing and found Sam’s jacket to dig it out.

“H’llo,” Dean answered louder than needed.

_“Dean, is everything alright?”_ Bobby asked since he didn’t get Sam and Dean sounded weird.

“Speak up, Bobby is that you?”

_“Yeah, you don’t have to yell.”_

“Sorry, hearing is off. Look, we got rid of Poltergeist. Neither of us are hurt bad, just can’t stop the ringing in my ears. I’ll call you back later when I can talk an hear.”

_“Alright son, glad to hear it,”_ Bobby yelled before hanging up.

**spn**

Dean swept the salt up from the floor and threw it away. He picked up the books and decided that was enough for now. He dropped into the recliner and raised the footrest easing back and getting comfortable. The pain meds were trying to kick in and he let himself relax hoping that when he woke some of his aches would be gone. The brothers slept for several hours before Sam started stirring on the couch.

Sam opened his eyes and blinked a few times to clear his vision so he could see. He saw Dean asleep in the recliner and that he was stretched out on the couch. He tried to clear his throat and felt the wet cloth covering his neck. His throat still hurt from the attack, but his head was easing off. Sam slowly pulled his body to a sitting position, pausing when everything started spinning. He reached for a bottle of water nearby and saw the pain meds sitting beside it. He fumbled with the bottle for a moment before getting it open and shaking out a couple. After sipping some water, Sam slipped the pills into his mouth and sipped more water to wash them down.

“D…” Sam tried to say and stopped from the hurt. Instead he used his foot to shake his brother’s leg to wake him.

“S’mmy,” Dean slurred as he started moving, waking up. He let the footrest down and wiped his face before moving to sit beside Sam. “You okay?”

Sam nodded yes and put a hand to this throat, “H’rts.”

“Don’t try to talk, it’ll just make it worse. Why don’t I see if there’s some soup in the cabinets and fix us something to eat? Think you can maybe handle soup?”

Sam thought a moment and could tell he was hungry and nodded yes again, thinking soup would be a good idea and easy on his throat. He was careful as he got up, feeling the need to pee. His ears were still ringing slightly but getting better. He used the wall for support and made his way to the half bathroom off the kitchen.

Dean found some chicken noodle soup and a pot to cook it in. He got it on cooking and watched Sam carefully as he came from the bathroom to be sure he was stable.

“I’ll have it ready in a minute,” Dean told him slowly, trying to control the volume of his voice. He could tell he was sounding to loud, but if Sam was having the same problem as him, he probably wouldn’t notice.

Sam nodded his understanding and leaned his head into his hand hoping some food would make him feel better. Dean placed some crackers by his elbow and a minute later sat a bowl of soup and spoon in front of him. He nodded his thanks and opened the crackers to crumble a couple into the soup. He let it cool for a moment before spooning a small amount and tasting it. It hurt slightly but was good and he ate some more. Dean made a quick sandwich and joined him.

“I figure we’ll give it a couple of days and if everything seems okay, we’ll let Carrie know they can come back. Does that sound okay to you?”

“Yes,” Sam rasped out.

“I gotta say, it turned out better than I expected. Not too much broken, but they will have to repair that Samsquash hole in the wall you made,” Dean teased.

Sam gave him a bitch face and the finger before going back to eating his soup.

“Wanna head for Bobby’s once we’re done here?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, we have a plan,” Dean said. Another hunt finished and another one out there waiting for them.

**The End**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I hope everyone is stay safe and not stress out about the virus. We continue with Q and I hope you enjoy the read. Comments are welcome. NC**

* * *

**Q**

**Part I**

Dean rolled over in his bed and rubbed a hand down his face as he started waking up. He glanced to the other bed and saw it empty of his little brother. He yawned and licked his dry lips thinking it must be mid-morning by the sun streaming through curtained window. There wasn’t a hunt they needed to rush off to and Bobby was on his own hunt down south, so Dean didn’t see any reason to be up so early. He didn’t understand why Sam couldn’t just relax and rest while they had a chance.

Sam was wiping the sweat from his face when he stepped into the bedroom to see Dean still in bed. He had on sweats and running shoes, indicating he had been out getting some fresh air and exercising. He liked to run when he could, telling Dean it helped clear his head.

“Hey,” Sam greeted his brother.

“No need to ask where you’ve been,” Dean commented looking at his brother’s sweaty clothes and body.

“You know it wouldn’t hurt if you got a little more exercise once and a while.”

“I do, on every hunt we take.”

“Being thrown around by some supernatural monster is not exercise,” Sam huffed. “I’m going to get a shower.” He looked in the dresser and got briefs, tee shirt and grabbed a pair of jeans from his duffle. He needed to do laundry today so they would have clean clothes before heading out on another hunt. Sam decided to get a load going after his shower since it was his turn to do it.

“Don’t use all the hot water,” Dean yelled to him as he heard the bathroom door close. He snuggled back down deciding to at least wait until Sam was done in the bathroom before getting up. His eyes drifted back closed and he let his mind return to a dream he had been having of sexy, scantly clothed, dancers doing a private routine for him. They swayed and twisted and leaned over showing more of their cleavage to him as they swayed their hips and motioned to him to join them. He smiled happily, taking it all in.

“Dean! What were you dreaming?” Sam asked in disgust, slapping his brother’s leg hard. “You’re making weird, gross sounds in your sleep.”

“Wa’?” Dean grunted rolling over to his back.

“Dude! Really? Don’t you have any other type of dreams?” Sam complained when he saw Dean’s erection under the sheet. He grabbed the laundry basket from the closet and started gathering the dirty piles of clothes scattered around the room. He pulled some out of his duffle and without looking at his brother spoke, “Going to do some laundry.”

“Taking a shower,” Dean replied wincing slightly in discomfort. He got up and adjusted his briefs before gathering clothes and walking across to the bathroom. With the images still in his head, Dean took care of his problem and sighed with relief as his erection went down. He turned on the water and let the temperature adjust before looking in the mirror at his reflection. Dean ran a hand over his face deciding he didn’t need a shave today. He dropped his briefs and pulled off his tee shirt before stepping into the tub, letting the hot water pelt his body. It stung at first until he got used to it and rolled his shoulders to ease some stiffness. He let the water soak his hair and body before grabbing the shampoo and washing his hair. Dean soaped down his body and rinsed before turning off the spray. Once he was dried, Dean put on his clothes, went back into the bedroom to find his boots and headed downstairs to find his brother.

Sam was sitting at the kitchen table on his laptop and glanced his brother’s way as he headed for the coffee pot. He went back to skimming articles online to see if he could find anything of interest. He was aware of his brother moving around getting coffee and looking in the fridge for something to eat before sitting at the table with Sam. He continued to flip through newspapers and tagged websites barely looking at them until something caught his eye and he went back to read a newspaper headline, _‘Second Victim With Missing Heart’._ He leaned forward with interest and read the article twice before looking up at Dean.

“I may have found us a case,” Sam said turning the screen so he could see it.

“Heart missing, you think a werewolf?”

“Maybe, it’s only a little over four hours away in Cottonwood, South Dakota.”

“Where’s that?”

“West of here, about an hour this side of Rapid City. We have no leads on Lucifer so we might as well check it out instead of sitting around doing nothing.”

“Haven’t had a good werewolf hunt in a while, I’m game.”

“I have a load of clothes in the dryer. When they’re done, we can head out.”

“Fine, I’ll give Baby a quick once over while we’re waiting.” Dean finished his yogurt and took his coffee with him, heading for the front door leaving Sam alone once again. There was still tension between them but not as bad as it was at the beginning when Sam really screwed things up and released the devil. The search for Lucifer was an ongoing thing, but he was laying low at the moment and nothing unusual had been reported lately. He started searching for other related articles and sent them to the printer in Bobby’s office, so they’d have hard copies.

In less than an hour, they were packed and on the road to Cottonwood. Dean figured if he pushed it slightly, they could get there and check with the locals, see the bodies, and then get a motel room to go over everything for clues to see if this was a werewolf attack or not. He looked over at his brother who was gazing randomly out the side window at the passing scenery, lost in his own thoughts. He couldn’t help remembering what Sam had done to the world when he released Lucifer and knew he would die trying to make amends for that, by putting Lucifer back in is Cage.

**spn**

The town of Cottonwood was a medium size town that seemed to be growing. Dean stopped at a gas station to fill up and for them to change into their FBI suits before heading to the police department. The traffic was light still and it didn’t take them long to find the building sitting near the county courthouse. Dean found visitor parking and slowly pulled into a space to park. They got out and headed for the front entrance of the building to get this part over with.

The brothers stopped at a counter where a uniformed officer sat behind and waited for him to speak.

“Good afternoon, can I help you?” he asked taking in the appearance and wondered what alphabet organization they were from.

“Yes, Agents Stills and Wilson, FBI. We’d like to speak to whoever is in charge of the recent murders. The ones with the missing hearts,” Dean told him flashing his credentials as Sam did the same.

“Just a moment,” the officer said looking them over before picking up his phone to call to the back. Once he was done, he spoke again, “You can have a seat over there, and someone will be out to help you.”

Dean looked behind him and saw the plastic chairs against the wall. He nodded and they moved to take a seat and wait. They both looked around the room, checking out the flyers and the wanted posters in the glass cabinet to be sure they didn’t see their faces hanging there. Fifteen minutes later, a middle-aged man came out from a door behind the counter and came around to greet them.

“Good day gentleman, Detective Roth, how can I help you?” he greeted them.

Agent Stills and Wilson, FBI,” Dean replied standing to shake his hand. “We’d like to discuss the recent murders you’ve had in your town.”

Sam stood too and shook his hand, giving him a nod of greeting. He let Dean take the lead knowing he handled it well. And he was still working through everything that had happened to him with Ruby, the demon blood, freeing Lucifer, and choosing a demon over his own brother.

“Why don’t you join me in the conference room, and we’ll talk about it. My Captain is out of the office today, but he didn’t mention the contacting the FBI before he left.”

“Can’t tell you sir. We just follow our boss’ orders and go where we’re told,” Dean answered acting innocent about it. 

They followed Detective Roth through the door and into a squad room that had desks scattered throughout, some empty and some with other officers sitting at them working. They were taken into a conference room with a small table surrounded with chairs and took a seat as Roth sat across from them.

“What can you tell us about the attacks?” Sam asked pulling a pad out to take notes.

“The first one, Kim Moore, she was found by some joggers over at the park. She ran there nearly every morning before work. The crime scene didn’t give us any clues to who could have killed her. It was a horrible death.”

“And the second one?”

“That would be Harold Black, he was found in his home by his wife when she returned from a visit to see her parents. Killed the exact same way. Thing is, I don’t know how a human could do what was done to them. Their hearts were punched out of their chests. I mean there’s a gapping hole all the way through their bodies. Whoever did it was very strong and ruthless.”

“Did you find any connections between the two victims?”

“They both worked for the same financial company in town, so they knew each other. Those we interviewed at the office didn’t really have anything bad to say about either of them. Thought I think Black might have been a player, but no one was talking.”

“Were there any witnesses to either crime?”

“No, Black was alone, and Moore ran early before anyone else was out. The only thing we have is a blurry video from a security camera near the park.”

“Can we get copies of your reports and the video?”

“Sure, can’t see how it’ll hurt. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go have one of the guys start getting that together for you.” Detective Roth got up and stepped from the room leaving them alone.

“I gotta say, from his description of the wounds, it doesn’t sound like a werewolf attack,” Dean whispered to Sam.

“Yeah, let’s wait until we see the victims before ruling it out yet,” Sam replied.

“Okay, it’ll be ready in a few minutes agents. You will keep me apprised of anything you find?”

“Of course, and if you’ll call us if you find out anything,” Dean replied handing him a card.

“The bodies, where is the morgue so we can see them?”

“The morgue’s in the basement at the hospital. Turn left out of the parking lot and go three miles, you’ll see the signs for it. Our medical examiner is Dr. Street. I’ll give him a call that you’ll be coming by.”

“That’s helpful Detective, thank you.”

“Can you recommend a decent, reasonable motel around here?”

“Well, let’s see, there’s the Fairfield Inn on the other side of the town and there’s a Day’s Inn there too. Going east, you’ve got a Holiday Inn or Motel Six. I’d say your best bet is Day’s Inn, they’ve got a really good free breakfast bar I wouldn’t pass up and there’s several restaurants nearby for other meals.”

“Thanks, we’ll check it out.”

“Here you go Roth,” an officer said bringing a couple of folders in and laying them on the table.

“Thanks Simpson. Here you go agents; this is what we have. I hope you have better luck than we’ve had.”

“Thank you for your cooperation and we’ll be in touch.”

Dean and Sam got up, gathered the files, and headed out to find the hospital. The directions were good, and Dean pulled up to the hospital fifteen minutes later and drove around to the back looking for the rear entrance. He found a place to park and they got out to head for the marked door.

**spn**

The temperature dropped drastically when they entered the morgue and looked around. An older man dressed in scrubs and a lab coat stepped through a door across the room.

“You must be the FBI,” he greeted them. “I’m Dr. Street, the medical examiner.”

“Agents Stills and Wilson.”

“You’re here to see the two murder victims. If you’ll step this way.” He led them across the room to a dozen small doors set into the wall and waited as he checked the labels before opening two doors and pulling out the trays from inside of them. “Here you go,” he said pulling the sheet down on the first victim.

“Whoa!” Dean commented when he saw the hole in the man’s body where his heart should be. “Did not see that coming.”

Sam grabbed some gloves and slipped them on before leaning closer to examine the wound. He rolled the body to the side and looked at the hole in the back, noticing the ragged edges. He punched Dean and mumbled to him to take a couple of photos.

“Yes, this is a new one for me. I have no idea what kind of weapon could do this. If I had to guess, it was like someone punched the guy in the chest with his fist to remove the heart.”

“Was the heart found?”

“No.”

“And the other one is the same?” Dean asked looking at the other sheet draped body.

“Identical,” Dr. Street said. He pulled the sheet off the female victim and both moved closer to see the gaping hole in her chest. Dean snapped a couple of photos before stepping back.

“Could we get a copy of your autopsy reports?”

“Of course, I’ll get them.” He stepped away and went to a row of file cabinets to find the right files and disappeared into another room to make copies.

“This doesn’t look like a werewolf attack to me,” Dean told Sam.

“I agree, a werewolf wouldn’t be this clean or punch a hole through their victim. There are no defensive wounds of any kind on the bodies. I’m wondering if they knew their attacker and was taken by surprise?”

“What human has enough strength to do this? You know it’s got to be something supernatural.”

“After we get the autopsy reports, why don’t we grab dinner and get a room at the Day’s Inn. We’ll checkout what we’ve got so far and go visit their place of work in the morning,” Sam suggested.

“Sounds good to me. Maybe a co-worker can shed a little light on the two victims.”

“Agents, here you go. Are there any more questions for me?”

“No, I think we’re good.”

“Alright, I have some paperwork to finish up. Good day.”

“Thanks for the help sir.”

They glanced at the bodies again to be sure they didn’t miss anything before sliding the trays back in place and closing the doors. The brothers headed back to the Impala and decided to get a room first so they could change out of their suits before grabbing dinner.

**spn**

The Impala drove slowly down the street in the business district of the town. They were looking for the financial institution where both victims worked to question any coworkers about their deaths. Dean saw the four-story building first but had to go down a block to find parking and they walked back to it. They went inside and headed for the second floor where the business was located.

When they stepped through the double glass doors, both brothers could sense the dark atmosphere of the place. People moved around with their heads down and seemed skittish. They stepped to a desk of a dark-haired woman who looked up at them with wary eyes.

“Good morning, we would like to speak with the CEO, boss, president, whoever is in charge.” Dean told her, pulling out his credentials and flashing them at her. “FBI.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and she pressed some buttons on her phone system and turned away slightly to speak to whoever was on the other end.

“Mr. Bowers will be with you shortly, you may take a seat over there,” she told them. “There’s coffee if you’d like a cup.”

Dean looked in the corner and saw a small table with a coffee pot, cups, creamer and sugar. He nodded his thanks and went to pour a cup, looking to Sam to see if he wanted one. Sam nodded no and took a seat on a small couch and picked up a magazine to look at. He flipped through it as Dean sat down beside him while taking in the place. From the looks of the décor and the size, he figured business must be good for the company. At least the coffee was better than expected and he sipped it, relishing the flavor.

The brothers looked up when a middle-aged man in a three piece suit, walked down a hallway toward them. He stopped long enough to whisper something to the receptionist before turning to the brothers.

“Good morning, I’m Roger Bowers, CEO, how can I help you?” he asked trying not to sound nervous.

“Agents Stills and Wilson, FBI. We’re in town to help with the recent murders and learned both victims worked for your business,” Dean stated, standing to shake his hand.

“Yes, they both did. We are all devastated by the loss,” he said.

“We’d like to interview any of your employees that worked with or had contact with the victims and could we see their personnel files?” Sam told him when he shook his hand. “Is there some place we can do that?”

“I’m sure we can find somewhere,” he replied. “The conference room could be used.”

“If you will give Agent Wilson a list of those employees, he can start interviewing them, and we can talk in your office,” Dean suggested.

“Alright, ummm, Mandy,” he said turning to the receptionist. “Would you help this agent with what he needs and show him where the conference room is?”

“Of course,” Mandy nodded getting up. She seemed upset and scared as she waited for her boss and Dean to go by before looking up at Sam for a second and looking away with guilty eyes.

Dean nodded to Sam to start the interviews and he would see what he could get from the boss. Sam smiled at Mandy and followed her to a conference room down the hall.

“I’ll have Human Resources pull their employee files and will make a list of employees who worked with them,” she told Sam as he looked around the small conference room and then back at her.

“Could I talk with you for a moment?” he asked pulling a chair out for her.

“I guess,” she said shyly. She sat down and clasped her hands tightly in her lap, glancing up at Sam and then away.

“How well did you know Mr. Black and Ms. Moore?” Sam asked her, taking out a pad to write on. He watched her fidget and look away, not meeting his gaze.

“They would speak when they came in, you know, being polite and all. Most of the staff did.”

“Did either have a disagreement or fight with anyone else who worked her?”

“I don’t think so, I’m usually at the front desk so I don’t see what goes on in the back and I try not to listen to office gossip.”

“How well did Mr. Black know Ms. Moore?”

Mandy looked up quickly and then down at her hands, trying to hide something she didn’t want known. “They worked together; I don’t know about their personal lives. Some of us will stop at the bar over on the next block for a drink after work, but I never really paid that much attention.”

Sam watched her knowing she was lying to him, but he wasn’t sure about what. “If you could get me their files and that list, I’ll get started then.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Mandy answered, quickly getting up and hurrying from the room like she was glad to get out of there.

Sam sat back to wait, wondering how she was involved in this. Her body language and reactions to his questions had him guessing there might have been something going on between her and the other two. The firm wasn’t a large financial business from what he had read online and from the reports. There was a total of fifteen employees, not counting the CEO. It seemed to be profitable and he had found no major scandals regarding the company. This was a strange case and he wasn’t sure what they were looking for yet. From the looks of the victim’s bodies, he was sure it wasn’t a werewolf as they first suspected.

“Here you go agent,” Mandy announced coming back with the files and the list.

“Thank you, Mandy,” he said looking over the names. “Are all of these people here today to be interviewed?”

She glanced down at the list seeming nervous and licked her lips before answering. “Yes, I believe so.”

“After I look the files over, I’ll have you start bringing them in then,” Sam explained, dismissing her with a nod. He waited until she had left before opening the first file and reading through it.

**spn**

Dean stepped into the conference room to see Sam talking to a young woman and nodded as he took a seat beside him. He had finished his interview with Bowers and figured out he didn’t really associate with the _help,_ thinking he was above that. He didn’t say anything as Sam continued his interview, knowing he could spot anyone lying to him.

“Thank you for your help,” Sam told the woman. “If you think of anything else give me a call.” He handed her a business card as she got up to leave.

“Anything?” Dean asked once they were alone.

“Not much. I did get the impression that Mr. Black was fooling around with Ms. Moore and maybe others,” Sam huffed closing his pad. He rubbed his tired eyes for a moment, thinking back over everything. “Pretty sure the receptionist is lying to us or at least not telling everything she knows. Just not sure why.”

“Should we press her?”

“I don’t think so,” he decided. “I think she’s scared of something and doing that will only make her defensive toward us.”

“Well, I don’t think we’re getting anything else here. We might as well leave.”

“I agree.”

They got up and headed for the front desk to let Mandy know they were leaving.

“If you should think of anything else, we’re staying at the Day’s Inn,” Sam told Many handing her a card with their room number on it. “If you want to just talk…” Sam trailed off leaving it open ended, giving her a knowing look before they left.

“What now?” Sam asked once they were back in the car.

“Go back over what we have and know and see if we missed anything, I guess. Might as well find somewhere to eat before heading back to the motel.”

They headed down the street checking out the selection of restaurants in the area before picking one and going in for a meal. The class was puzzling, and the brothers hoped to figure out what they were dealing with before another body turned up with a missing heart.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: We find out what they are hunting and who a brother sees. Thank you for traveling down the letter path and I hope you will hang around until we get to the last one, Z. I do like comments. NC**

* * *

**Q**

**Part II**

Mandy was in a fog for the rest of the day and did her job on autopilot. She was scared and wasn’t sure what to do. The two FBI agents made it even more difficult. She was sure the younger one knew she was lying about not knowing anything regarding the two deaths.

When she had met the woman, Renee, in the bar, she didn’t think anything about it. They had started talking and she ended up spilling her guts to a stranger. Mandy had to admit after four mixed drinks she was a little loose lipped and couldn’t help it.

After Renee told her she was a white witch and could help her, Mandy jumped at the chance for the help and had gone with her down the street to her home. Renee said she could give her a spell that would make Harold love only her and want to be with only her. Mandy knew Harold was married, but he had told her it was in name only. He said he was planning on leaving his wife soon and they could be together. That had been six months ago, but he kept putting off leaving his wife. This made her mad and decided to take matters into her own hands.

Mandy had taken the spell and the ingredients to perform it from Renee and followed her instructions. When she learned of Kim’s death, she didn’t think that much about it, but when Harold was murdered a few days later, she was devastated. This was not what was supposed to happen with the spell. She had taken the remaining ingredients outside and burned them, but she still felt like something was coming after her too.

Mandy was torn between going to the FBI and telling them her involvement and keeping quiet and hoped it all blew over. She didn’t know if they could charge her for the murders or if they would even believe her if she told them about the witch.

The workday was over, and she forwarded the phones, before getting up to leave. She was usually the last to leave for the day and was alone on the elevator ride down to the lower level where the parking was. Mandy clicked her key fob and the lights on her car blinked twice and beeped when it unlocked. She opened the driver’s door and got in to head home.

**spn**

The house was small, but since it was only her, it suited her needs. The neighborhood was quiet and in the older part of town, which was fine with her. Mandy pulled the car under the carport and got out to head inside. She unlocked the door and stepped into a small foyer, kicking off her heels with a sigh. Wearing them all day was painful on her feet, but they did make her long legs look sexy.

After dropping her briefcase on the table, she headed for her bedroom to change out of her work clothes and into something a little more comfortable. Mandy pulled some sweats and tee shirt from her dresser and shed her skirt and blouse. She hung the skirt up thinking she could get one more wear out of it before needing to have it cleaned. She pulled the pins from her hair and let it fall around her shoulders, running her finger through it to comb it.

Mandy walked barefooted back toward the kitchen when knocking froze her in her tracks. She wasn’t expecting any company tonight and wondered who it could be. She took a step toward the door and thought otherwise, stopping short.

“Who’s there?” she called loud enough to be heard on the other side of the front door.

“Mandy, honey, open up,” a familiar voice called to her.

Mandy sucked in a quick breath when she recognized the voice as Harold, but he was dead. It couldn’t be him.

“Open up sweetheart. We can be together now. You know that’s what you want, right?” Harold called again. He rattled the doorknob trying to get in.

“No! No! You’re dead, it can’t be you,” she cried out in shock. Mandy backed away from the door and screamed in fright when hard pounding echoed in the foyer.

“Let me in!” Harold yelled in anger and rage. He beat on the door again; harder this time and it began to shake, and a section splintered when his fist punched a hole through it.

Not knowing what else to do, Mandy ran for the kitchen, grabbing her purse and keys and headed out the sliding glass door as she heard the front door give way. She didn’t stop until she was in her car and screeched from under the carport out onto the road, almost wrecking. Garbage cans rolled across the road and she took out a mailbox and she threw the car in drive and floored it. There was only one place she knew to go and headed for the Days Inn.

**spn**

Dean had just got back from a beer run and was stepping from the bathroom when someone knocked frantically at their motel door. He looked to Sam who shrugged, he had no idea who it could be. After pulling his gun, Dean went to the door and looked back at Sam to be sure he was ready. Sam gave him a nod and Dean opened the door. He stepped back quickly when Mandy rushed inside and slammed the door shut to lock it with the dead bolt and chain.

“I need your help,” she gushed out, stepping into the room wringing her hands.

“You’re the receptionist from the financial place,” Sam said. “Mandy? Right?”

Dean put his gun away and looked at the woman as she stood there barefooted shaking and looking at them. He could see the utter fear on her face and wondered what was going on. Dean steered her to a chair to sit down before she fell.

“Harold is trying to kill me,” she tried to explain.

“Harold as in the guy who got his heart punched out Harold?” Dean asked suspiciously.

“Yes, it wasn’t supposed to hurt anyone. I only wanted him to leave his wife and…”

“Wait, what wasn’t supposed to hurt? Mandy what did you do?” Sam questioned.

“Renee said the spell would make him love only me.”

“Spell? Who is this Renee?” Dean asked.

“I met her in a bar not far from my work and we started talking. She said she was a white witch and could help me. I admit I was a little drunk and thought she was leading me on, but I went to her house and she gave me these ingredients and a spell to do. She said all I had to do was kiss him and it would all be perfect.”

“Do you still have the spell?” Sam asked.

“Yes, I kept it,” Mandy told him opening her bag and rummaging around until she pulled out a folded piece of paper to hand to him.

Sam went to his laptop and pulled up a search engine and began typing.

“How did you think this would turn out good?” Dean asked her. “You’re dealing with a witch for Christ sakes.”

“I was desperate, I loved Harold and wanted to be with him,” she moaned.

“Guys,” Sam interrupted as he picked the paper back up. “This isn’t a love spell, it’s the opposite. It turns the person you kiss against you and they only want to kill you.”

“You say you kissed Harold?” Dean asked.

“Yes.”

“But the Moore woman died first,” Sam said.

“Was Harold involved with her?” Dean asked.

“I’m not sure. I heard a rumor but didn’t believe it. Harold said he wasn’t.”

“So, you kissed Black and Black kissed Moore, she dies first and then Black dies, and now you’re being stalked for death.”

“It’s like it’s being passed along and then returned to the original person who cast the spell.”

Before any of them could continue, Harold slammed into the sliding glass doors of the room, shattering them and sending shards of glass everywhere. Mandy screamed and Dean fired shot after shot into his body. Harold stumbled a couple of steps back but didn’t go down.

Sam didn’t think, he grabbed Mandy and kissed her, transferring the curse to him and freeing Mandy.

“What did you do Sammy?” Dean cried out when he saw what Sam did.

“It’s alright, let’s get out of here!” he yelled grabbing Mandy’s hand and pulled her to the locked door. He got it open and they ran out to the Impala and got in.

Dean dropped into the driver’s seat and cranked her, burning rubber as he raced from the parking lot. He looked at his brother with worry and unease knowing whatever Harold was, he would be coming after him now and not Mandy.

“Do you remember where this woman lives?” Dean asked Mandy as he glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

“I think so, why?”

“We’ve got to stop her and hopefully break this spell before it comes for Sammy.”

“How can you do that?”

“Witch killing bullets,” Sam told her.

“Witch killing…” Mandy started as her mind tried to comprehend what was being said to her. “You’re not FBI, are you?”

“No, we’re hunters.”

“Hunters…” she trailed off not sure what to make of that.

“Mandy, directions, where does this witch live?” Dean asked as he headed for the business district again.

“The bar is a block over from where I work. She lives another street over,” Mandy told him.

“We need to find her spell book and see what kind of spell she actually gave you,” Sam said.

“And we need to put a couple of bullets between her eyes,” Dean added in a growl as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“I’m sorry,” Mandy sobbed. “I didn’t know this would happen, honest.”

“We believe you. I think the witch lied to you and knew this was going to happen.”

Mandy cried softly in the back as she watched out the windshield telling Dean where to turn. It took them twenty minutes to get to the other side of town and to the street the witch lived on. Dean cruised slowly down the street looking to the house Mandy pointed out and went to the end to turn around. He parked a house below it to avoid detection.

“Look, take this,” Sam said holding out a small handgun to her. “Lock the doors and stay in the car.”

“I don’t know how to use that,” she gasped.

“All you do is aim and pull the trigger,” Dean told her. “Just be sure you don’t shoot one of us, we’re the good guys.”

“You’ll be safe in here. We’ll take care of the witch,” Sam assured him.

Mandy reluctantly took the gun, watching as the brothers got out of the car and went to the back. Dean pulled out the guns with the witch killing bullets and checked them before handing Sam one. They moved toward the house and looked around to be sure no one saw them as they made their way around to the back. There were no lights on in the house, but Dean knocked at the back door and waited for a few moments before picking the lock.

**spn**

Dean and Sam moved quietly through the house, using flashlights to see. They found the door for the basement and carefully headed down the steps, guns ready. Sam found a light to turn on and saw a desk, large cabinet and filing cabinet sitting on one side of the room and the other side had sheets of plastic hanging from the ceiling separating it from the rest of the basement.

Sam moved to the desk and started looking through it. Dean went to the cabinet and broke the lock on it and opened it to find her stockpile for spells, potions, and charms.

“Here,” Dean called to Sam, picking up a book with odd writing on the front.

“That must be her spell book,” Sam told him. He took it and started thumbing through the spells until he found one marked with sticky notes. “This is it. We’re dealing with a Qareen.”

“What is that?”

“It’s like a djinn. It’s an Arabic curse. It looks like the witch made changes to the spell where it would come back on the one that cast spell,” Sam read from the book. He thumbed back a couple of pages to read more about what a Qareen was and how to stop it.

“So, Black was cursed, and he must have kissed Moore. That guy’s an asshole, cheating on two women at the same time.”

“The witch is controlling the Qareen by possessing its heart. It’s like a wish and the Qareen has to obey her. Looks like the Qareen won’t rest until it rips out the heart of the one cursed. It can read the mind of the victim and finds out their darkest romantic and sexual desires. That is why Black was after Mandy. Guess she really loved the guy.”

“But how do we stop it?” Dean asked.

“The heart has to be destroyed. We have to find where the witch has hidden the heart.”

“Okay, you look down here and I’ll check upstairs. Just be careful,” Dean told him before heading back to the stairs.

**spn**

Sam finished going through the desk but didn’t find the heart. He looked in the cabinet and filing cabinet without any luck there. He walked to the wall of plastic and pushed it open at the split to see what was on the other side. It looked like the witch was remodeling this part of the basement. There were tools sitting around the room and plywood stacked on one side. One sheet of plywood was sitting on two sawhorses in the middle of the room. He saw the framing was up in the divided the area and moved to look in a storage unit across the room.

“Did you find something?” Sam asked when he heard the plastic rustle and turned, freezing in his tracks as he sucked in a sharp breath.

“Hello Sammy,” Ruby said in a sultry voice, as she stepped into the room. She was dressed in hip hugging, skintight, jeans with a low-cut tank top that revealed the top of a black lacey bra, the outfit showed off her every curve, making her even more enticing. She looked as appealing and desirable as in his most private memories.

Sam couldn’t stop his eyes from roaming over her body. Suddenly in the deepest, forgotten part of his mind a door cracked open, and unwanted emotions and feelings flooded forward making his body tingle and shiver. His mouth went dry and he swallowed hard, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He knew this couldn’t be the real Ruby. Dean had killed her at the convent in Ilchester.

“You’re not her?” Sam finally croaked out.

“Oh, but I can be? Why Sam I’ve looked deep down into the dark recesses of your mind where you hide things that you don’t want anyone to ever see and know you haven’t forgotten me. Once you got over the demon thing, we were extremely hot together, don’t you think? I never heard you complaining after the sex. You seemed to enjoy it and the rougher the better…” she offered moving a few steps closer to him. “I _did allow_ you to have control back then, even when you couldn’t wait and cut me so you could suck my blood while pounding that much harder into me,” Ruby laughed haughty when she saw Sam’s face turn deep red with her words.

Sam backed away and tried to keep the plywood table between them as his mind spun trying to figure a way out of this while it fought the desire to have her again.

“You lied to me, tricked me, got me addicted to the blood; you’re nothing to me!” he spat angerly, watching her every move. He froze when she hooked her hands into the hem of her tank top and pulled it over her head, dropping it to the floor.

Sam eyes widened when he gazed at her luscious breast, barely contained in the lacey bra. He couldn’t stop his gaze from roaming down her body, to her small waist to her curvy hips encased in the jeans and stopped at her crotch.

“The answer is yes, I do have on the matching black, lacey panties. If I remember correctly, this was your favorite set,” she chuckled as she continued. “I don’t know how many times I had to replace them because you would rip them off of me in your urgency to have me.”

“You’re a manipulating bitch and I want nothing you have!” Sam growled trying to push away those thoughts of them together as his body reacted differently. He could feel his desire stirring and his body growing hot.

“Is that really true? Seems like I remember you craved what I had to give you. It gave you power and strength and let you become who you truly were meant to be. It let you finally crawl out from under your brother’s shadow and surpass him. You know you can do that again if you like,” she cooed, pulling a knife and cutting her arm making it bleed. “You know you want it Sammy, you know what it can give you…”

“No, never, never again!” Sam snarled at her, moving around the table looking for anything to use as a weapon against her.

“Be honest with me, did I ever belittle you, make you feel inferior, useless, or second best? You were never good enough in your father’s eyes and you know it. Didn’t he always put Dean ahead of you? You were never his obedient little soldier like your brother was and who followed him blindly, no matter what. Didn’t you feel he never really treated you like he did Dean? Remember how it felt after you drank my blood. You felt invincible, powerful, better than Dean ever could be. Just a taste,” she tempted him. Ruby took her finger and ran it through the blood and put it to her mouth, licking it off and painting her lips redder than they were.

Sam was panicking and wasn’t sure what to do. He tried to move to the opening, but Ruby stepped in front of him, blocking his escape, and he quickly halted and stumbled back the other way. He could smell the blood in the air, and something stirred and awoke inside of him. A gnawing desire and need started to build and he couldn’t take his eyes off the trail of blood running down her arm. It was almost as if he could hear her heart beating, thrumming against his senses, as the slow spill of blood continued to hold him mesmerized. He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t tear his eyes away as he licked his lips wanting to taste it once again. He wanted her so badly that he couldn’t think straight or fight the urge to throw her to the floor and tear her remaining clothes off and plunge into her while drinking her blood.

**spn**

Dean turned his flashlight back on and wandered through a couple of rooms until he found what looked like an office. He turned on a lamp sitting on a desk and sat in the chair so he could look through the drawers. He wasn’t finding anything that looked like it might hold a heart and sat there a moment contemplating where else it might be. He headed back to the kitchen and looked around the space.

After opening a couple of cabinets and not seeing anything, he turned and surveyed the room again. His eyes fell on the fridge and walked over to it. It was an older model with the freezer on top and opened the door. He moved a few frozen items around and spotted something it the back corner.

Dean pulled out a plastic bag with a wooden box in it and sat in on the counter. He opened the bag to remove the box and picked up a fork to pry the small lock from the box. He was tense and excited at the same time, hoping this was what they were looking for. He opened the lid of the box and looked inside to see a black heart sitting on a velvet lining.

An unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke behind him just as he heard Sam yelled from the basement. Without warning Dean was thrown backwards into the wall, dropping his gun beside him. He stared into the angry eyes of the witch as she pushed her hand out making him grimace in pain.

“What are you doing in my house?”

“Trying to break the spell you gave Mandy. It wasn’t a love spell, you tricked her into using a curse and people died.”

“Boo hoo, people died that deserved to die,” she said sarcastically. “He was cheating on his wife with two other women. One was only in it for advancement at work and the other thought he would leave his wife for her. None of them deserve happiness and are getting what is due them.”

“What right do you have to decide that? You should butt out of other people’s affairs.”

“Once I get rid of you, the Qareen will get rid of your brother and I can continue on and not have to worry about you hunters.”

Dean groaned in pain and started to gasp for breath as the witch squeezed her hand into a fist, cutting off his air supply. He couldn’t move his body and tried hard to get a breath as he glanced at the gun at his feet.

“Stop that!” Mandy cried out from the doorway as she pointed the gun she was given at the witch. She didn’t think about it and fired the gun the witch’s way, nicking her on her arm.

The witch turned on her, rage burning in her eyes as she threw her hand knocking Mandy backwards, making her lose her grip on the gun.

Dean felt his body drop to the floor and sucked in a short breath as he felt around for his gun. His fingers touched the cold metal and he got a grip on it. He raised it as the witch turned back to him and he pulled the trigger three times, each bullet finding it’s mark in her body. She jerked backwards and twisted until her body dropped to the floor dead.

“Are you alright?” Mandy asked him as she picked herself up and watched Dean stumble to his feet and lunge for the box on the counter.

Dean threw the wooden box down and the black heart rolled from it. He drew down on it and emptied the remainder of his gun into it blasting the heart to pieces.

**spn**

The Qareen saw the desire burning in Sam’s eyes as she advanced on him. She kicked out planting a foot to his stomach making him stumble and bend over doubt, before he fell to his knees in front of her. Ruby grabbed Sam around the neck, squeezing just enough to make him gasp for air. She smiled maliciously as she took her blood-filled hand and wiped it across his lips and into his mouth, trying to get him to taste it again. She wanted to bring the urge and need back in him.

Sam tried to jerk his head away but couldn’t move it but an inch. He balled his hand into a fist and punched as hard as he could into her stomach making her loosen her grip. He scurried backwards, gagging and spitting trying to get the coppery taste out of his mouth. He knew if it took hold there would be no coming back, and he would accept her offer even if it meant his death. She swung a fist burying it into a piece of plywood behind him. He dodged another blow thrown at him and lurched away from her outstretched hand.

“Give in Sam, there’s no way out of this. I will give you the high you desperately crave, as much as you want even, it won’t hurt me if you suck me dry, before ending it for you,” Ruby offered cupping her hand to catch her blood and holding it out to him. “I might even let you screw me too,” she offered running a hand up her bare stomach to her breast and squeezing it in a provocative manner.

“I will never do that again. You’re not going to fool me again. Dean! Destroy the heart!” Sam yelled as loud as he could while trying to keep his distance from her. “Hurry!” He voice was urgent and pleading, hoping it didn’t take Dean long to do it.

She was fast and lunged at him, back handing him once and before he could recover, grabbed his arm to fling him over the table and watched him roll across the floor, only stopping when he hit the wall with a dull thud. He was stunned but managed to scramble to his feet and continued evading her approach. Sam could tell his body was weakening as he faltered and tried to stay on his feet and move around the room.

Ruby bore down on him as he grabbed a hammer to defend himself. He tried to swing it at her, but she caught his arm and bend it backward until he dropped it. He groaned in pain and tried to get away from her, but it was useless. His life was in his brother’s hands now. If he didn’t destroy the heart, he was dead.

“Goodbye Sam, we did have such a good time together,” Ruby sighed. “Such a waste…” she continued as she made ready to punch him in the chest.

Sam watched her with surprise and wonderment, when suddenly she let him go and screamed as her body started to dissolve into a whirlwind of sand starting at her feet. Her screams was cut off when her face melted away into sand and suddenly with a bright flash, the whirlwind imploded and disappeared.

“Sammy, you okay?” Dean called to him a moment later as he batted away the plastic trying to find him. He had his gun drawn and swung it around the area checking for any danger.

“I’m fine,” Sam mumbled wiping at his mouth and pushing the plastic out of the way to head upstairs. He could feel the sticky wetness of the blood that was drying on it and still had the coppery taste in his mouth. He didn’t want Dean to see the blood on his face or question him about who came for him.

**spn**

Dean paused for a moment looking at the gaping holes around the room in the unfinished wall and on the piece of ply wood laid out on sawhorses, a woman’s skimpy tank top tossed nearby, and the hammer laying in the floor. He moved to the side and saw what looked like blood puddled on the floor and wondered just who Sam had seen. He followed him back upstairs to find him talking to Mandy.

“It’s over, you’re safe now,” Sam told Mandy. He kept his face turned away from them and stood in the shadows so he couldn’t be seen that well. There was only a light on over the stove in the kitchen making it easier to hide his bloodied face.

“I don’t know how to thank you for what you did,” she said.

“Why don’t you find someone not married to date next time, and no turning to witches for help,” Dean suggested in a sarcastic voice.

“Believe me, I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t be doing that again,” she assured him.

“Guess we need to get our things from the motel and get out of town,” Sam told Dean before heading for the car and glad that darkness had fallen.

“Yeah, good idea. I’ve had enough of witches for a while,” Dean agreed, looking at his brother’s back as he hurried away. There was something off with him, but he would wait until they were alone before confronting him.

The three headed back to the Impala and to the motel. Mandy thanked them once again and headed back home to see how much damage was done to her place and to try and put her life back together. 

**spn**

As soon as he unlocked the door to their room, Sam went straight into the bathroom and closed the door behind him before Dean could say anything. He grabbed his toothbrush and scrubbed his teeth twice and rinsed with mouthwash wanting to get the taste of the blood out of it. He wet a washcloth and scrubbed his face and neck until it was red wanting to hide any trace of the blood. He was lucky only a small amount had dripped onto his jacket and that could be easily explained away.

He wouldn’t look at himself in the mirror because he was disgusted with himself for almost breaking and drinking the blood. He couldn’t believe he still had feelings for the demon bitch who screwed him at every turn. He thought he was past this, but tonight showed how wrong he was, and he didn’t want Dean to know how close he came to giving in and being killed. Once he was done, he gathered his bathroom things and packed them before stepping back into the main room.

“Who came for you?” Dean asked as he stuffed the last of his clothes into his pack looking at Sam with a critical eye. He could see the redness on his face where it had been scrubbed almost raw.

Sam looked up startled for a moment with his question and didn’t answer him as he cast his eyes to the floor. He walked over to his duffle and dropped his bathroom bag into it and shut down his laptop to pack.

“No one important,” he muttered not wanting to tell Dean the truth. He didn’t want to see that look of disappointment and betrayal in his eyes again. He couldn’t go through that, not for a second time. It was bad enough he had to live with it and worked on tearing those memories from his mind and shoving them so deep into his subconscious he would never find them again.

“If you need to talk…” Dean trailed off already knowing it was a mute topic. He could tell Sam had shut down and wasn’t going to say anything.

“I’m good,” Sam insisted, grabbing his things and heading out the door without another word.

Dean huffed out a snort knowing he was anything but good and followed him to the Impala to leave this town and whatever memories it had created behind.

**The End**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Wow only 8 more letters left, and the ride will be over. I hope you have enjoyed the one shots, and would be interested in knowing your favorite one. I hope I have found some creatures you didn’t know about and made the hunts interesting. Thank you for hanging in there. I do love comments. NC**

* * *

**R**

The loud hiss of air brakes brought Dean upright and looking around, trying to make sense of where he was. He saw brick buildings and cars driving by where he was parked. He had stopped at a rest area to catch a few hours of sleep before heading on to a town still four hours away in the upper part of Louisiana called Mansfield. He rubbed his tired eyes and slid across the seat to get out and head for the restroom.

It had been nearly two years now since Sam had left and gone to college at Stanford. Dean had not called him, nor had Sam tried to contact him. He knew their father had gone by the college several times to check on him, always keeping his distance, just to be sure he was okay. Dean was giving Sam the space he wanted for now. He had hunted with their father for a while after Sam left, but the ill feelings between them wouldn’t go away.

Dean learned one night when his father was drunk that he was proud of Sam for getting the scholarship, but he was afraid for him too. He wouldn’t have anyone to watch his back or protect him if something came after him. He thought it would be his fault if something happened to him. John was feeling guilty over how it was left between his youngest and him but couldn’t make himself breakdown and go tell him. Dean had started working his own cases and only helped his Dad when he needed it.

After using the restroom, Dean walked over to the vending machines and looked at his choices. He could try the coffee here or head down to an exit that had real food and better coffee. Deciding on the latter, he strolled back to the Impala and cranked her up, listening to the loud roar that settled into a hefty purr as he put her into drive to pull out and back onto the interstate.

Dean didn’t have to drive but a few miles before seeing a 24-hour truck stop and decided a good breakfast might be a good idea. When he worked a case, sometimes food was forgotten for long periods of time. This was happening more frequent now that he didn’t have Sam with him to remind him, they should eat. He missed his brother by his side and glanced at the empty passenger seat and sighed heavily.

After exiting onto the ramp, Dean turned left and pulled into the parking lot for the truck stop. He found parking and got out to head inside to have breakfast. He sat at the bar and looked at a menu as the waitress stopped and poured him a coffee when he turned his cup over for her. He ordered the Meat Lover’s Special and sipped on his coffee as he waited for his food. Dean was sitting where he could see the other patrons in the dining room and gave them a curious glance, not sensing any danger from them. He smiled when the waitress brought his plates and sat them in front of him. Business was picking up as he enjoyed his food and got a coffee to go before getting up to head to the front and pay. He used some change to leave the older waitress a tip and thanking her.

**spn**

Traffic was moving along at a steady pace and Dean made good time to the small town. He cruised down the main part of the town checking out the businesses and finding the sheriff department and hospital where the morgue usually was. He was going to grab a motel room and change before coming back as FBI or maybe he should be a US Marshall this time? He pondered it over for a moment and decided to stick with the FBI guise.

He had several motels to choose from and picked the one that looked the cheapest, but clean. Dean had had enough of the ratty, rundown ones over the years that he opted for a step up now that he was on his own. After getting a room, he moved his car to a space in front of his room. Dean got out and grabbed his bags before heading for the door and opening it. It still felt wrong to get a single, but at least it saved him money on a double. When he first started staying by himself, it took him forever to fall asleep because he didn’t have the soft snores of his brother to lull him to sleep.

After changing into his suit and dress shoes, he made sure he had the right fake ID and pocketed it before heading back out. Dean had to drive back across town to the sheriff’s department and found a visitor’s parking spot. He got out and straightened his jacket and tie before heading for the front door.

The setup was like the many law enforcements offices he had been in over the years. A counter sat in the middle of the room with a deputy sitting behind it who looked up as he stepped deeper into the room.

“Good afternoon, can I help you?” the deputy asked, turning his attention to Dean and laying down the paperwork he was reading.

“Agent Stiles, FBI,” Dean stated pulling his credentials to show him. “I’d like to see the officer in charge of the latest…Animal attacks.”

“Must be slow for the FBI to be investigating animal attacks,” the deputy joked as he picked up a phone and called to the back. “Sheriff Norris will be out in a moment if you would like to take a seat.”

“Sure,” Dean replied eyeing the deputy for a moment wondering if they were all like him or if that was why he was at the front desk and not out on patrol. He moved to take a seat in one of the plastic chairs lining one wall and let his eyes roam around the place searching for anything interesting. Dean looked over the flyers for a bake sale, car wash, and several yard sales. He was drumming his fingers on his leg trying hard not to make weird noises and thinking how Sam would be rolling his eyes at him. He smirked to himself as he thought about his brother and did realize just how much he contributed to a hunt until he wasn’t there.

“Good afternoon, I’m Sheriff Norris,” a middle aged, tall, fit man told Dean as he held out his hand to shake.

“Agent Stiles, Sheriff. I’m with the FBI. Is there some place we could talk?”

“Of course, if you’ll follow me, we can use my office.”

Dean got up and followed the sheriff behind the counter and through a door that lead into a squad room. He glanced around at the desks and figured there were probably less than seven deputies for this town. He stepped into a small office that had a desk, two chairs, filing cabinet and two large bookcases full of books.

“I’m surprised to find the FBI on my doorstep and for an animal attack.”

“I just go where they send me. You know no questions asked, don’t rock the boat,” Dean shrugged.

“Agent, I’ve just got to say this, you look awfully young to be an FBI field agent already.”

“Well, thank you kindly. It’s good genes, I guess. I’ll pass that alone to my Dad,” Dean replied. “About these attacks…”

“Right, very sad thing for the town. I mean we have gone nearly six months without anyone dying except from natural causes and now three in two weeks.”

“Do you have any idea what type of animal did this?”

“My best guess is a rouge grizzly bear that migrated in from up north. We have black bears in three main areas in Louisiana, but I don’t think any of them are this vicious.”

“And where were the bodies found?” Dean asked as he jotted down notes.

“On the outskirts of town out toward the bayou. They were all within a five-mile radius of each other.”

“I’ll need to get a copy of your police reports for all the victims, please. Were there any witnesses?”

“No, I wish there were. I’ll have Walker make those copies while we finish up here,” Norris said picking up the phone and buzzing someone out in the squad room. After he mumbled a few words and hung up, Norris turned back to Dean. “What else can we do for the FBI?”

“I’d like to see the bodies.”

“The morgue is at the hospital in the basement. I’ll call ahead and let Doc Roberts know to be expecting you. You will keep me informed of anything you find agent,” the sheriff stated more as fact than question.

“Of course, and if you learn anything else, here’s my card,” Dean answered pulling a business card from his jacket pocket. “I’m staying at the Travelodge on the other side of town.”

“Alright, I will make a note of that. You tell Herman the sheriff says hello for me.”

“I can do that.”

They looked to the phone sitting on the desk as it buzzed, and Dean waited while the sheriff answered it. He only spoke a few words before hanging up and turning back to Dean.

“Those reports you wanted are ready agent,” he said getting up and moving around the desk to the door to open it.

Dean followed the sheriff back out into the squad room and to a desk nearby where he as handed several files that he passed to him.

“Thank you, Sheriff, you have a good day,” Dean nodded taking the files and heading for the door to leave.

**spn**

The hospital was small compared to most that he had visited during his time of hunting. He pulled into the parking lot and found a place to park. Dean got out and made his way inside and looked at the signs to find the way to the morgue. He found the stairs and took them down a level to the basement. He could already feel the difference in the atmosphere and the coolness of the air when he pushed the door open and stepped into a hallway. Dean followed the signs down the hall and to the right to the doors marked morgue.

When he pushed the doors open, the coldness hit him in the face at once, sending a chill down his back. He stepped into the sterile, white room seeing two stainless steel tables, hoses hanging above them, two desks, a row of filing cabinets and two other doors leading from the room. He saw one wall had the doors spaced evenly up and down it where the bodies were stored.

“Hello,” Dean called looking around the place for the coroner.

“Well, hello young man,” an older man dressed in scrubs and a lab coat said as he stepped from one of the rooms. “You must be the FBI agent the sheriff called about.”

“Yes, Agent Stiles,” Dean introduced himself.

“And you want to see what’s left of the bodies of the animal attack victims.”

“Yes, that doesn’t sound promising.”

“Hope you have a strong stomach because it is not a pretty site.”

“I’ve seen worse,” Dean commented not bothering to elaborate.

The coroner moved to the wall proceeded to open three drawers to pull the sheet covered trays out for Dean to view the bodies.

“Could I get a copy of your autopsy reports while I check the bodies out?” Dean asked.

“Of course, I was doing that when you came in, figuring you would want them. I’ll just go finish up.”

Dean looked around and grabbed a pair of gloves to put on before moving to the first body. He pulled the sheet back to reveal a young man whose chest had been torn apart by claws. He could make out the large gouges that racked across his chest. Dean pulled out his cell and snapped some shots thinking this was far more violent that a normal werewolf attack. He lifted the sheet to see more meat flayed from the body leaving raw edges that were bloodless and pale.

He moved to the next one and saw it was in the same shape, but his throat had been ripped out meaning the man died within seconds from blood loss since the carotid artery was severed. Again, the chest was shredded, and he was sure the heart would be missing and maybe other organs.

“Here you go, agent,” the coroner said. He had stepped back into the room with a folder in his hand and laid it on one of the tables.

“Doc, were the hearts missing?”

“Yes, and in one a few other organs, but I can’t rule out other animals helping themselves to a meal too.”

Dean pulled up the last sheet and expected the same sight and wasn’t disappointed. The bodies were almost identical in their wound pattern and he was sure no human could have done this. He snapped off the gloves and picked up the folder.

“Thanks for your cooperation, Doc.”

“Anytime son. I hope you get the beast before it kills again.”

“I am going to try.”

Dean left the way he came in and walked out into the warmer air breathing in deeply. It felt good to be out in the sun again and headed for the Impala. He was going to stop for gas and pick up a map of the area so he could check where the bodies were found and where they disappeared from. He wanted to see if there were any common links among the victims and that might tell him who the werewolf was. He was having his doubts that it was one, but he wasn’t sure what else it could be. He was going to contact Bobby, his mentor, and see what he thought about the photos.

**spn**

Dean stepped from the bathroom towel drying his hair before tossing the towel back into the bathroom and going to the table. He had the reports spread out across it along with the map that had X’s marked on it. He picked up his cell and dialed a familiar number, waiting for it to be answered.

_“Dean how are you doing?”_ a gruff male voice answered.

“Hey Bobby. I’m on a case in Louisiana in a small town called Mansfield and wanted to see if you’d check out some photos for me.”

_“Sure son; email them to me and I’ll look at them. What are you thinking?”_

“I was sure it was a werewolf, but now after seeing the bodies…I’m not that sure anymore. Is there something along that line but a lot meaner?”

_“I’m not sure, but I’ll check it out.”_

“Sending them to you now. Get back with me. I’m going over everything I have so far.”

_“Are you working this case alone Dean?”_

“Yeah, Dad’s off somewhere doin’ his own thing Bobby. I can handle it.”

_“It’s never good to not have backup son. Why don’t I call around and see if anyone is nearby and send them your way?”_

“I’m good for right now Bobby, really.”

_“You be careful Dean, you hear me? Don’t be an idjit and do something stupid.”_

“I hear you Bobby,” Dean replied before hanging up. He laid his cell aside and picked up some papers to go over again. There had to be something that all three victims had in common if he could only find it. He rubbed his eyes feeling them burn and wished he had Sam there to split the paperwork. He looked at his watch and saw it was getting late and decided to turn in and check out the crime scenes in the morning. He wanted to see if he could determine the hunting grounds or at least the dumping grounds for this monster.

Dean picked his cell up and thumbed through his contacts to S for Sam hovering over it. He wondered if his number was even still in service and sighed as he closed the cell, dropping it back on the table. Maybe when this case was over, he’d reach out to him and see if he would even pick up. He turned the covers on the bed back and slipped between them. He worked on shutting his mind down and letting his body sink into the mattress, relaxing.

**spn**

It was in the early morning hours when Dean suddenly sat up in bed gasping for air as he struggled to breath. His heart was pounding so hard, he thought it would explode from his chest. He worked on slowing his breathing and tried to figure out what woke him. There was something just out of his reach that he couldn’t pull up and rubbed his temples trying to stave the headache that was building behind his eyes.

He got up and went to his bag to find some Tylenol and went to the bathroom to get some water. He shook three pills out and turned on the water to cup his hand capturing some and sipping from it. It took several swallows to get the pills down and he leaned against the sink and squinted his eyes shut. He rubbed the back of his neck for a moment and wondered if there would be any more sleep for him tonight.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened in the past couple of years, ever since Sam had left. The problem was he could never remember what he dreamed about that would make him this upset and uneasy. He looked up at his reflection in the mirror and closed his eyes when he saw the haunted look in them. He couldn’t look again and turned from it to go back into the other room to sit on the bed. After a few minutes, Dean laid back down, even though he didn’t feel like sleeping anymore

The first rays of the sun were beginning to stream through the window of the motel room as Dean lay on the bed eyes still opened, staring up at the ceiling. He pushed himself from the bed and headed for the bathroom to take a shower in hopes it would wash away some of the tension still in his body. It was still early but he decided to stop at a diner down the street to grab some breakfast before heading out. He found some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom turning on the heat and water, letting it warm up.

Once the water was to his liking, Dean stepped under the strong spray and stood there letting it beat on his shoulders and neck. He could feel some of the tightness draining away and rolled his shoulders slowly. He grabbed the small bottle of shampoo and shampooed his hair before using the soap to wash his body. After rinsing off he shut the water off and grabbed a towel, drying his body and hair before stepping from the tub. Dean shook his clothes out and quickly dressed and went into the other room. He found his wallet, keys, and picked up the map from the table, and grabbed his jacket before heading out the door.

**spn**

The day was warming when Dean pulled off the road and parked. He got out and looked around at the area taking in the bayou that was nearby. He remembered reading about alligators that would swim up these waterways and went to the back to get a larger gun. He made sure his handgun was loaded with silver bullets and loaded a shotgun with rounds, chambering one before closing the trunk.

Dean strolled into the brush following the map to where the last body had been found. It wasn’t far from the trail that hikers used and that was the only reason the body had been found so soon after their death. If they had stayed longer, Dean was sure the bodies would have been eaten by other wild animals.

He found the crime scene tape tied to trees and walked around the area. He pictured the photos of the crime scene in his mind and walked to the spot where he found splatters of blood on the leaves nearby and a dark patch of dried blood on the ground. He was lucky there had been no rain in the past week, and nothing had been washed away. He began to walk around the crime scene in a grid pattern looking for evidence that the cops might have missed.

Dean stopped at some briers and knelt to look at some fur caught in thorns and frowned thinking this could be from a werewolf. He fingered a strand of it before standing up and looked the way the trail led. He moved a little deeper and found a road that led through the terrain. He studied the tire tracks that were left there wondering who would be out here in the bayou.

The other two crime scenes were only a mile and a mile and a half from this one. He got his bearings and started walking toward the other sites to check them out. He didn’t think he would find much but wanted to cover all his bases. After finding the other two and looking them over, he headed back to the Impala. All three victims disappeared at night and by the coroner’s report were killed at night. By his calculations, Dean had a feeling the beast was going to be attacking again tonight or the next. That meant he needed to come back tonight and stake this place out to try and stop it from killing again.

When he got back to the Impala, Dean got in and wiped his face before cranking the window down and starting the car. He headed back to town, letting the warm air blow in the window to cool him. He was going back to the motel to rest for the rest of the day and get ready to stake out the bayou tonight. He wasn’t super keen on doing that because of the wild animals that came out at night, but he didn’t have much choice.

As soon as he got to the room, Dean turned on the air conditioning to cool the room so he could sleep. He stripped down to his briefs and tee shirt before turning on the television, lowering the volume, and climbing into bed. He let the noise of the television lull him into a light sleep. He didn’t know he dropped his cell in the car and didn’t get Bobby’s calls.

Bobby swore under his breath as his call went to voicemail again and tried another number. He listened to the voicemail and when it beeped, started talking. “John Winchester you need to get your ass to Mansfield, Louisiana before yer boy gets himself killed. I’ve been trying to call him but he’s not answering. He’s going after something he’s never faced before and it is one tough sonovabitch to kill. He’s tracking a Rougarou. It’s kin to the werewolf, but much more dangerous. It changes at any time, not just on the full moon cycle. A Rougarou is more powerful than your normal werewolves with enhanced abilities and senses. Silver won’t kill it, only make it mad, but it will start the transformation back to its human form. Then, it can be killed. I’m calling anyone I can to see if they are close to help. If you want to save your son’s life you better burn rubber and get to him.” Bobby hung up the cell and started calling other hunters to see if anyone was near Dean. He was going to jerk a knot in that boy’s ass when he saw him again for not listening to him about not working alone.

**spn**

Dean’s internal clock woke him up as it was starting to get dark. He got up and stretched, waking his body up before heading into the bathroom to splash water on his face and relieve himself. He headed back into the main room and dressed before checking the map again to find the road he had found thinking it was a good place to start.

He went outside and climbed into the Impala and headed back to the bayou. It wasn’t hard to find the back road and finding an area near where the bodies had been found to park. Dean got out and looked around listening to the nightlife come to life. He went to the trunk and got his handgun loaded with silver bullets, slipping it into the waistband of his jeans. He pulled a small pack out and checked it to be sure it had first aid supplies before shouldering it. He looked at his cache of weapons trying to decide if he should take anything else and pulled a couple of knives out to store on his body.

The noises of the night quieted as Dean silently moved into the woods but started back when he was deemed no threat. He became hyper alert as he let his senses heightened and listened closely to the world that was coming alive around him. He tried to single out any foreign ones that might be what he was hunting.

Once he found what he thought was a suitable place to hide, Dean settled down, deciding to wait for thirty minutes before moving to another spot and trying again. He would continue moving around the woods to see if it paid off or if he was going to have to come out the following night too. A light rain started falling twenty minutes later, making the night seem darker and more sinister. Dean pulled a poncho from his pack and slipped it on to protect from the rain.

**spn**

It was well after midnight and Dean was at his third hiding spot when twigs breaking nearby had him holding his breath and listening intently to where the sound came from. The rain had slacked up and left the forest dripping and wet. He eased from his hiding spot and heard growling ahead of him close by. He gripped his gun tightly in his hand, stripped the poncho off, and moved around the trees trying to see into the darkness for the shadow that was out of place.

He stepped from among the trees into a small clearing and stopped to slowly scan everything around him. Dean had only partly turned when he was attacked from behind, sending him stumbling forward but not going down. He jerked around and bought his gun up to have it knocked from his hand by a hard blow, numbing his arm. The Rougarou growled and advanced on Dean swiping his clawed hands out trying to injury him. Dean jumped back and dodged the strikes as he tried to see his gun in the darkness.

A sudden roll of thunder startled them, making them freeze for a moment as it rumbled through the forest shaking the trees around them. A streak of bright lightening bounced across the sky giving Dean just enough light to spot the shine of his gun lying about ten feet away. Just as he started to move for the gun, the Rougarou backhanded him, catching him on the shoulder and side, knocking him sideways to the ground, stunning him and cracking some ribs. Lightening flashed again, finding its way into the forest and striking a tree not far away.

Dean rolled to his stomach and crawled toward the gun. He dug his fingers and the toes of his boots into the wet mud trying to push forward as fast as he could. Just as his hand closed around the butt of the gun, his leg was grabbed, and claws dug into his calf. Dean cried out in pain as he was pulled backwards. He rolled over and brought up the gun to fire several shots into the Rougarou, making him release his hold. The beast was knocked back with the impact of the bullets, but it didn’t go down. It roared its rage to the storm breaking over them and started advancing toward Dean again as he started to change, with claws raised ready to tear him apart. Dean tried to shoot again but the gun was knocked from his hand making Dean cry out with the pain that radiated up his arm. He stiffened as he tried to push himself away from the monster. He pulled a knife out with his left hand and prepared to lash out as the Rougarou advanced toward him.

A crashing noise sounded behind the now changing Rougarou, and a large, shadowy figure rushed from the brush toward the beast. With one mighty swing of a machete, the Rougarou’s head detached from its body and rolled across the ground as the body crumbled at Dean’s muddy form.

“Dean!” John cried out to his son when he saw him go down.

“Dad?” Dean gasped in surprise and shock as he tried to wipe the rain from his face. He fell back working on breathing and fighting the burning pain in his calf.

“Are you hurt?” John asked kneeling beside him and pulling a light out to shine over Dean’s body. He looked behind him when Mackie hurried into the clearing panting and wheezing. “We’re good Mackie.”

“Good,” he waved leaning over to catch his breath.

“Leg, right arm, and ribs,” Dean hissed as pain radiated across his chest when he tried to draw in a breath, and he couldn’t move his right hand that was swelling. He cradled his hand to his chest as his body trembled and he tried to push past the pain.

John handed the light to Mackie to hold as he carefully slipped his hands under his shirt and felt his sides, not finding any blood at least. He heard Dean groan in pain as he pressed in on his ribs thinking they were probably bruised. He gently took his right hand, getting a hiss of pain from Dean and could see the swelling already starting in his wrist and hand. He moved down to his legs and felt wetness on the left one.

“Shine the light on his leg,” John ordered Mackie before moving to remove the small pack Dean was carrying. He turned Dean’s body enough to see his calf and took a knife to cut his jeans leg away so he could see the gashes. He pulled a field dressing out and quickly wrapped his leg to control the bleeding until he could get him out of the forest. “Son, think you can stand?”

“Don’t know,” he grunted.

John carefully helped Dean sit up as he clutched his side and tried to take short breaths so it wouldn’t hurt so bad. Dean let Mackie and John lift him up from the wet, muddy ground and almost face planted as he tried to balance on wobbly legs. He couldn’t put any weight on his injured leg and leaned on John, letting him hold him up.

“Let’s get him set on that fallen tree,” John told Mackie. “I’ll find a limb that we can use as a seat for him to get him out of here. He’s not going to be walking on his own.”

They moved Dean over to a fallen tree and got him seated while John started looking for a limb to use. He finally found one and came back to them.

“We’ll let him sit on the limb and pick up each end to carry him. Okay Dean, think you can stand and sit on this?”

“Yeah, I’ll try,” Dean nodded as he tried to breath. John had used his belt to make a makeshift sling for Dean’s arm to give it support until they could doctor it better once they got back to the motel.

“Mackie get on the other side and take that end so he can sit down.”

Dean carefully sat back on the limb, feeling John and Mackie taking his weight and put his arms around their shoulders to balance. His side ached with the movement, but he clenched his jaw and didn’t say anything. He was lifted off his feet and they began to carry him back toward the vehicles. It was slow going and Dean felt every jarring movement of the journey. He was sweating and pale and barely holding onto consciousness.

“You can drive my truck and I’ll drive the Impala,” John told Mackie once they got to the road and made it to the truck and car.

“Fine with me,” Mackie said. He eased Dean down by the Impala and waited for John to find Dean’s keys to unlock the doors.

They got Dean settled down in the backseat and as comfortable as possible before heading back to town. Dean gave them the motel name and room number as he faded in and out. They made good time getting back to the motel and got Dean inside his room. Mackie went and got a room for himself when John said he was staying with Dean.

John cleaned and stitched the gashes on Dean’s calf and wrapped his ribs hoping it would help with the pain. He cleaned him off as best he could before he would allow Dean to sleep. If he wasn’t better by morning, he would take him to the emergency room. John settled on the couch with a pillow and blanket relieved he had found Dean in time to save him. He looked over at his sleeping son and blinked back the tears when he realized how close he came to losing him.

  
**The End**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I want to thank VegasGranny and Clowns or Midgets for their advice on this one. I did struggle with it trying to come up with something different and I think it turned out well. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I do like comments. NC**

* * *

**S**

Dean pulled out briefs and socks from his dresser and moved to the bed to drop them in his bag. He slid his laptop in last and closed it before picking it up to leave. He opened his bedroom door and stepped into the hallway, pausing to look toward the intersection that led where his brother’s bedroom was. Dean took a step that way to go tell Sam he was leaving but stopped himself and turned instead to head toward the map room.

It had been nearly two weeks since he had come back to the bunker after getting the angel out of Sam. In that time, there had been a half dozen one syllable words spoken between them. If he was lucky, he might catch sight of Sam once a day. He was getting tired of the silent treatment. He knew Sam was royally pissed at him for tricking him into saying yes to an angel, but he couldn’t stand by and let him die.

The bunker was quiet as he walked into the map room and up the couple of steps thinking he would grab a coffee and be out of here before Sam woke up. Dean faltered in his steps when he looked up and saw Sam sitting at a library table tapping quietly on his laptop. He saw Sam’s eyes look up for a second, dismiss him, and go back to what he was doing.

“I’m leaving, may have found a case,” Dean said, waiting for Sam’s reaction.

Sam paused in what he was doing to look up again, a neutral expression on his face. “Fine, I’m heading out too.” He pushed his chair back and proceed to retreat into the kitchen without any further explanation.

Dean watched Sam walk away and all thoughts of coffee fled his mind. He had been dismissed and couldn’t stop the ache that twisted in his chest. He never thought it would come down to this. Sam barely tolerated him, wouldn’t talk to him, ignored him and seemed he didn’t care anymore. Dean turned and headed back down the steps and toward the garage to the Impala to leave. He got the message loud and clear; Sam didn’t want to be brothers anymore; they were not family.

**spn**

Sam was surprised to see Dean up this early when he looked his way noticing his bag but didn’t say anything. When he heard Dean say he was leaving to check out a possible case made him angry. He didn’t ask if he wanted to come alone or tell him where he was going. That was fine with him. He had found his own case to check out and would let Dean do his thing while he headed for Irving, Texas.

Dean’s footsteps faded away as Sam stood in the kitchen waiting to see if he would come in there. He drew in a slow breath and pushed it out. When Dean came back, he didn’t know it would be this hard. What he had done…Even when he knew how he felt about it…It was unforgiveable. He had crossed the line one too many times with him. Now Sam had to carry the guilt of killing Kevin with him the rest of his life. He knew it was Gadreel that was actually in control, and did it, but it still didn’t help with the remorse and shame of it.

He pushed from the counter and headed to his room to pack his bag and head out. There was no use hanging around here alone. He had already mapped out a route and knew it would take him about eight hours to drive there. He grabbed the pages he had printed out and laid them with his laptop before heading down the hall to his bedroom. Sam couldn’t help but pause for a second at his brother’s bedroom door wondering if things would ever be the same between them again.

After packing a bag, Sam headed to the library and picked up his computer bag before heading to the garage to get a car. He had found an older model Dodge Charger in a used car lot a while back and bought it to have a car when Dean wasn’t around. He was glad he did now and grabbed the keys off the rack on his way by. He dropped into the driver’s seat and cranked her. It didn’t sound as good as Dean’s Baby, but it was fine with him. Sam had remodeled the trunk and filled it was the basic weapons needed for hunting. It felt good to have a car of his own, even though nothing would ever replace the Impala.

**spn**

It was late afternoon when he pulled into the small town of Irving, Texas. It was located just outside of Dallas and was a college town sporting a number of colleges and catered to the college crowd. He drove around the town first and on to the college where the deaths had occurred to get a lay of the land. He was going to pose as a new hire for maintenance on campus, thinking that would allow him access to all the places he needed to go. If he was found out, he would fall back on being undercover with the FBI to check out the deaths.

After deciding on a motel that was close enough to campus to walk to it, Sam got a room and dropped his things off before heading out to find the house where the fraternity was located. There had been three college students die on campus supposedly by accident, but Sam thought something wasn’t right. They were all pledging to the same fraternity but were all killed different ways, different times and different places. 

He had hacked the police data base and got the reports on the crimes and the autopsy reports. After reading through them, Sam got the feeling there was something else that drove someone to kill all three. It was almost like a crime of passion and if it turned out there was nothing supernatural about it, he would turn anything he found over to the locals and let them take care of it.

Students were strolling around the campus as Sam walked among them, thinking of his time at Stanford. He had some good memories of his college days until his girlfriend had been killed on the same day, and in the same way as his Mom. If it hadn’t been for Dean coming back, he would have died in that fire too, but he had saved him just like he did when he was six months old. Sam shoved those memories away knowing it wouldn’t do any good to dwell on them. He found a campus map on one of the bulletin boards and found the charter house he was looking for.

It was starting to get late and the students were heading for their dorms or to the cafeteria to get something to eat. He tried to act normal like he belonged there as he walked down the street noting the different fraternities and sororities on campus. He paused outside the three-story house, watching the guys going in and out. You could tell the pledges because they looked scared, young, and out of their element. He bet some were only there because their parents wanted them in a fraternity.

He headed back to the main part of campus and was going to stop at one of the restaurants in the quad to get something to eat and ease drop to see if any of the students were talking about the deaths. He had learned more from locals over the years than from some of the cops they had talked to.

Sam picked the one that had the biggest crowd and went to the counter to order. Once he got his food, he looked around and spotted a table in the back of the place. As he was about to sit his tray down, a young woman sat hers down too.

“Oh, sorry,” she said. “Didn’t see you.” She started to pick up her tray and move as Sam spoke.

“That’s okay, you can join me if you like, I’m alone,” Sam offered taking one of the seats.

“You don’t mind?” she asked taking in his good looks and wondering if he was single.

“No, be my guest, I’m Sam.”

“Hi Sam, I’m Mia. Are you new here?”

“Yeah, just getting started, transferred in from California.”

“Wow, I’ve always wanted to go there, hadn’t made it yet. I’ve another year after this one before I decide where I’m going.”

“So, you’re a junior?”

“Yes, what are you studying?”

“Oh, ummm,” Sam stuttered as he quickly made up a story. “I’m almost done with my PHD in law.”

“That must be interesting, I’m working toward being a computer analysis and cyber technology.”

“Nice,” Sam nodded.

They began to eat, chatting lightly until they were done. Sam decided to take a chance and see if she had heard anything on the death.

“Mia, can I ask you something?”

“Sure Sam.”

“I heard some other students talking when I was getting all my paperwork done and schedule filled out…They were talking about three guys that had died on campus in the past two weeks. Is that true?”

Mia stopped chewing and looked at Sam with curious eyes before finishing and swallowing. She took a drink of her soda before speaking.

“It is. They were two freshman and one sophomore that were pledging to the Delta house on campus. Those were awful accidents,” she whispered. She looked around them to see if anyone was listening before continuing. “I know a friend who was friends with the sophomore’s girlfriend, and she doesn’t think it was an accident. She thinks he died doing some stupid pledge and they are trying to cover it up.”

“Really?” Sam asked. “Do others think that way?”

“I’m sure of it. Have you seen the news over the past few years of college students dying during pledge week?”

“Yeah, I think I remember hearing that. Does anyone know who might be behind it?”

“Well, between you and me, I think it has to be one of the seniors there. They’re the ones who decide what a pledge has to do and makes their lives a living hell.”

“Interesting theory,” Sam surmised.

“It was nice talking to you, maybe we’ll see each other around again,” she suggested, batting her eyes at him.

“Never know, have a good evening Mia,” Sam said getting up to throw away his trash. She was a nice girl, but a little young for his taste and he had other things he needed to do.

“Bye Sam,” Mia called, disappointment in her voice that he didn’t take her up on her offer.

Sam was going to head back to the motel and try to find out who the seniors were in Delta house and who might be the leader of the crowd. He also wanted to figure out who might be the weakest link and would talk if confronted. Tomorrow he would find the maintenance department and snitch a uniform and pay the fraternity a visit to scope it out.

**spn**

As he walked back to the motel, Sam’s mind wondered to his brother and what he was doing right now. Was he checking on a lead to see if he had a case or not? He had no idea where Dean had gone or even what he might be hunting and what danger he could be putting himself in, but he shoved those feeling of worry and concern away so he could focus on his case.

Once he got back to his room, Sam used social media to find out what he could about the fraternity and their members. He began to go through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts of the names he found, looking for anything that might give him a lead.

After a couple of hours of scouring pages of parties, dates, school events, he was about to give up when he hit on an Instagram post that was happening tonight. It seemed the seniors were out dancing at a club and someone was posting pictures of what was happening. Some were not that great, but one stood out as a guy turned toward the camera, but his reflection was caught in the reflective surface of the mirror tiled wall. Sam downloaded the photo and used a program to enlarge the image enough to tell it wasn’t a person he was seeing. It showed an ugly, hairless, form that could not be a shapeshifter.

Sam went back and pulled up the members of the fraternity and compared the face to them. He couldn’t find him among the photos and wondered who he was or better yet, what he was. This showed him that there was something supernatural going on here and he would try to find the guy tomorrow and check him out.

He rubbed his tired eyes and knew he needed to get some sleep. Sam headed for the bathroom first and did his routine before moving to the bed and turning it down. He crawled between the sheets and lay there, trying to shut his mind down to rest. He couldn’t help but miss the annoying snoring of his brother that would lull him to sleep. Sam punched the pillow and rolled over with a huff. He settled back down and made himself go to sleep.

**spn**

It wasn’t hard for Sam to sneak into the maintenance department and snitch a uniform and toolbox. He found a bathroom and changed, pushing a ceiling tile up to hide his clothes in the dropdown ceiling. He had grabbed a campus employee badge from a desk when no one was in there and clipped it on before heading out to go check the Delta house.

Classes would be in session, so he hoped that meant there wouldn’t be many guys there. Sam strolled down the street and crossed over before stopping at the walkway that led up to the front door. He looked up and down the street, but no one seemed to be interested in him and headed for the front door.

After knocking on the door, Sam stepped back and waited for someone to answer it. He looked up when a sleepy-eyed guy answered the door, yawning and scratching his unruly hair.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“I’m from maintenance, I came over to check out a plumbing issue,” Sam told him hoping it would get him in the door.

“Sure, whatever,” the guy grunted stepping away and leaving the door opened for Sam.

Sam stepped into the foyer of the large house and looked around, taking in the layout and who else might be there. He went right and found a large room with couches, chairs, a couple of small tables scattered about and a huge flat screen television mounted onto the wall.

He continued through the room and into the kitchen area. Sam went to the sink and opened the cabinet to look underneath like he was inspecting it. He noticed several trashcans full of beer cans and bottles that were overflowing and unwashed dishes in the sink, thinking the place was pig sty. He looked toward a doorway that led to a dining room and heard voices in there. Being careful not to get caught, he eased to the doorway and peaked in to see some guys sitting at the table eating. None were the one from the photo he saw last night, so he went back to the sink and opened his toolbox to pull a random tool out and kneel.

“What’s going on?” a male voice asked from behind him.

Sam stilled and stood up slowly turning around to address the guy. “I’m with maintenance, there was a work order submitted about a plumping issue. I’m here to take a look and see about fixing it.”

“Boy, you guys are dumb, it was for the bathroom upstairs, not the kitchen,” he laughed. “No wonder you’re working maintenance.”

“Alright,” Sam replied closing his toolbox and heading back to the front of the house. He really wanted to punch the asshole but held himself back.

Sam climbed the stairs, passing a couple of guys rushing down and out the door. When he got to the top landing, he paused for a moment seeing a guy come from a room with a towel around his waist. Deciding that was where the bathroom was, he headed that way and went inside. The room had been remodeled to add more showers, bathroom stalls, urinals and sinks. Two of the shower stalls were occupied, so he quietly moved to the last sink to pretend to work on it as he listened to see if they would talk. He pulled out earbuds and stuck them in like he was listening to music so he could pretend not to hear them.

“Has anyone questioned you again?” a voice asked from one of the stalls.

“No, I think they buy the stories, so we’re in the clear,” another replied.

“Do you know who that new guy is?”

“No, but Dave is all over him and he likes girls.”

“Did you believe Dave when he said it was an accident?”

“Why not? He may be a bully but he’s not a killer.”

Before anything else could be said, the guys stepped from the stalls and startled as Sam bopped his head to pretend music and fiddled with the sink.

“Hey! What are you doing in here?” one asked but Sam didn’t respond until he was tapped on the shoulder.

Sam jumped and looked startled for a moment before pulling an earbud out. “Oh, sorry didn’t hear you. The guy downstairs said there was a leak or something in here and I came to fix it.”

“Fine, just don’t take all day. C’mon we need to hurry, or we’ll be late.”

The two guys left Sam alone in the bathroom and he breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure if they would believe him or not. He remembered the name Dave from the photos he had looked at last night and knew he was in the upper class and one of the leaders. He waited in the bathroom until it was quiet in the hall before sticking his head out to look around. He didn’t hear anyone moving around upstairs and ventured out.

As he walked down the hall, Sam noticed there were names beside the door and searched for a Dave. He stopped at the door of a Dave Street and knocked once. When no one answered, he tried the knob and slowly opened the door to look inside.

“Maintenance, wanted to see if you had any other issues,” Sam called looking around but not seeing anyone. He stepped in and closed the door before hurrying to a desk and looking at the scattered papers on it. He checked the closet and under the unmade bed but wasn’t finding anything. He turned slowly and saw photos tacked to a cork board and moved closer to look at them. One caught his eyes of Dave with his arm around another guy and they were laughing. The other guy wasn’t looking at the camera, but Sam was sure it was the same person that he found last night. He looked at the scribbled names at the bottom that read Dave and Mitch.

Not wanting to press his luck, Sam used his cell to snap a shot of the photo before going back to the door and cracking it to see if anyone was around. He slipped out and went back to the bathroom to get his toolbox. What he didn’t notice was the shadow watching him from a partly open door down the hall. He watched Sam come back out carrying his toolbox and head down the stairs. The guy followed Sam out of the house and stayed behind him as he made his way back to the building and bathroom where he changed clothes.

Sam looked around a couple of times thinking he was being watched but there were so many students hurrying around he didn’t pick out the one guy sitting at a picnic table. He headed to the library to do some research and try to figure out what he was dealing with, so he’d know how to kill it.

It felt good to be in a library again, thought the Men of Letters one was pretty awesome too. Sam paused at the front and looked around for the computer stations before moving that way. The guy trailing him waited outside until he had moved from the door to come in and shadow him. He found a seat close enough that he could see the screen of the computer he was using. If his suspicions were correct, things had just gotten complicated if he was dealing with a hunter. He would have to change his plan and deal with him before he could have some more fun with these stupid college students.

**spn**

The sun was high in the sky when Sam exited the library and looked around. He was trying to decide if he wanted something to eat or to try and track Dave down. His stomach rumbled its protest and he opted for food first and headed to a sub shop to get lunch.

Sam found a place under a tree that was quiet to enjoy his meal. He was starting to relax and just enjoy the scenery and the hustle and bustle of the students around him when a whine caught his attention. He turned and saw a grown chocolate lab staring at him with a pleading look on his face as he eyed Sam’s sandwich.

“Hey there, where’d you come from?” Sam asked looking around for anyone that might have lost a dog. He didn’t see anyone fitting the bill and looked back to him. “Are you lost buddy?” he asked reaching a hand slowly toward him to let him sniff it before reaching to scratch his head. The dog whined again and rubbed into Sam’s hand as it stepped closer. “Okay, but only a bite, people food is not good for dogs,” he laughed pulling some meat from his sandwich and holding it out for him.

The dog wagged its tail and quickly devoured the morsel, licking its lips and waiting for more. Sam couldn’t resist and gave him another larger bite, smiling at him. It moved closer and suddenly began to lick his face and mouth before Sam could push him away.

“Hey, hey, I don’t need my face washed,” he laughed heartily rubbing him and searching his neck for a collar. “You don’t have a collar. Do you want to stay with me?”

The dog yipped and danced back and forth in delight before laying his head in Sam’s lap and looking up at him with loving eyes.

“I always wanted a dog growing up, but we moved around too much and my Dad wouldn’t let us get one,” Sam sighed as memories came flooding back. “I did have one for a couple of weeks when I ran away, his name was Bones. Guess I’m going to have to give you a name to. Can’t just call you dog…” his voice trailed off as another set of memories surfaced of hitting a dog, the vet, their relationship, a small house, and Dog.

The dog whined when Sam stopped paying attention to him and butted him in the chest to get his attention. Sam looked down at him and smiled.

“What would be a good name? Let’s see you’re a boy,” Sam noted looking between his legs. “What sounds good to you? Champ? Sampson? Butch? Zeus? Any of the strike your fancy?” he asked stroking him and scratching his belly. He chuckled when the dog shook his head no before laying it back to his chest. “I know how ‘bout Bruno?”

When Sam said that, the dog lifted his head and panted for a moment before leaning forward to lick his cheek.

“Bruno it is then, until I find out who lost you anyway,” Sam sighed knowing he couldn’t keep the dog and from the good condition he was in, he was sure he had an owner somewhere. “What am I going to do with you while I work? I don’t think my motel welcomes dogs.”

Bruno woofed and stood, waiting for Sam to do the same. When Sam got up and gathered his trash, Bruno fell in beside him walking obediently by his side, stopping when he did.

“Guess it won’t hurt for you to come with me then. Why don’t we find a store to get you a couple of things? Everyone’s in class right now, so there’s not much I can do.” Sam headed off campus and to the motel to get his car. He opened the passenger door and allowed Bruno to get in and went around to the driver’s side to get in. He checked his cell to find a store that was close and read the directions before pulling out and heading across town. He kept glancing over at the dog still amazed that he found him when all his life he had wanted a dog.

“Okay, I need to run inside, and they don’t allow dogs, but I won’t be long. I’ll get you some food, bowls, treats and couple of toys. How does that sound?” He smiled when Bruno gave a short bark and settled down on the seat. Sam had put both windows down knowing no one would bother the car with Bruno inside. He hurried inside not wanting to be away from him for that long. He didn’t understand the draw the dog had on him but dismissed it without further thought.

**spn**

Sam came back out carrying bags in both hands and almost ran to the car for fear Bruno was gone. He was breathing heavily as he skidded to a stop and saw Bruno was asleep in the front seat. He dumped the bags in the back seat and got in only to have Bruno, whining and butting his hand wanting to be petted.

“Did you miss me?” Sam cooed to him as he scratched him behind the ears. “Yeah, I missed you too. Look what I got you,” he said reaching in the back into a bag and pulling out a bag of treats and opening it. “How ‘bout one and maybe we can go to the park and play?”

Bruno gobbled down the treat and laid his head in Sam’s leg as he wagged his tail excitedly. Sam smiled down at him and pulled from the parking lot to head back toward the motel. He had seen a nice park not far from it and knew Bruno wanted to play.

“I got a ball and Frisbee, which would you like?” Sam asked holding them out to him. He laughed when Bruno choose the Frisbee and took off with it. “Wait on me!” Sam called, locking the car and jogging after him.

Bruno ran around Sam and teased him with the Frisbee before he let him take it and throw it for him. He chased it and brought it back to Sam to be thrown again. They played for an hour before Sam dropped down under a tree to rest. He got a bottle of water and one of the bowls he had bought to give Bruno water and drank the rest. He felt happy, content, free and didn’t care if he ever left this place. Bruno curled up next to him with his head under Sam’s hand so he could rub and scratch his ears.

Sam felt his cell vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out seeing Dean was calling. He sent it to voicemail and put it away so he could go back to petting Bruno. He didn’t feel like talking to Dean and spoiling the great mood he was in. There was nothing important they needed to discuss that couldn’t wait. Sam watched the people coming and going and knew he needed to go back to campus and find Dave Street and question him. He didn’t move from under the tree until an hour later knowing he couldn’t wait any longer.

“C’mon Bruno, we need to get back to campus, I need to find someone,” Sam sighed looking at the sky and seeing the sun was dropping toward the horizon. He pushed himself up from the ground and patted his leg for Bruno to follow him. They headed for the car and on to the motel to leave the car and take the bags inside. “Hate to do this, but you’ve got to be on a leash while on campus,” he told Bruno before fastening a collar around his neck and attaching a retractable leash. He hooked a roll of poop bags to the top and headed back outside. “You have to behave while we’re on campus. I’ve got to find someone.”

Bruno shook himself hard once they were outside as if trying to dislodge the collar and leash. He stretched and trotted off with Sam as they headed for the entrance to the college. He pulled his cell out when it beeped, he had a message and pulled it up to read. It was from Dean checking to see if he needed any help on his case. He ignored it and slipped his cell back into his pocket. Sam made his way back to the Delta house and up to the front door. He started to knock when it was opened, and he stepped back to stare down the guy at the door.

“Is Dave Street here?” Sam asked putting authority behind his voice.

“He’s in his room,” the guy said pointing up the stairs. “Last room on the left.”

Sam nodded and slid by his body to head up the stairs with Bruno by his side. He felt confident and sure of himself as he stopped and knocked on the door. He could hear movement inside before the door was jerked open by Dave Street. He looked disheveled, frantic and scared as he stopped suddenly and looked up at Sam.

“Dave Street?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, what do you want?” he asked quickly looking around in a panic.

“Tell me what happened to those pledges that died,” Sam stated.

Dave started at him as his eyes bugged out and he turned pale. Bruno growled at him and Dave stumbled backwards, slamming the door in Sam’s face, locking it.

“Dave, hey, open up,” Sam called to him as he pounded on the door. He could hear things being thrown around in the room and suddenly a loud crash of glass. He used his shoulder to break the door down and looked around the room for Dave. Sam ran to a broken window and looked out to see Dave’s body lying on the concrete below, a pool of blood forming under his head. Sam hung his head and Bruno seemed to be grinning as he growled deep in his throat with satisfaction. Sam didn’t seem to notice this and headed out of the room and down the stairs walking by the ones gathering outside around the body. Sam walked away since he knew he couldn’t get any information from a dead body.

Deciding to take the long way back to the motel, Sam walked Bruno around the campus enjoying the last remnants of the day. He was surprised when Bruno suddenly pulled away and knocked him down onto the grass and jumped on him, playing and making him laugh. They rolled around in the grass until Sam finally stopped as the light began to fade.

“C’mon Bruno, we’re going to have to sneak you into my room,” Sam said out of breath and he sat up and breathed deeply a few times. He laughed as Bruno collapse on him, panting hard and grinned up at him. “Five minutes and we’re heading to the motel.”

Bruno seemed to understand him and plopped down beside him to rest, being sure he was touching Sam. Things were going as he wanted, and he had the hunter right where he wanted him.

**spn**

After making sure no one was around to see, Sam quickly hurried to his room with Bruno and got him inside. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it and waited for a few minutes to be sure no one saw him and was going to come knocking. Once he was sure they were safe, Sam took off Bruno’s collar.

“Alright, first things first,” Sam stated. “You need a bath.”

Bruno whined and dropped down to the floor, refusing to move. As Sam looked back at him with his hands on his hips.

“Okay, if you want to sleep in the floor tonight, that’s fine….”

Bruno suddenly jumped up and dodged around Sam to get into the bathroom. Sam followed laughing when he found him in the tub waiting for a bath. He pulled the hose down and started the water adjusting the temperature. Sam pulled the shower curtain almost closed before taking the shower head to wet Bruno’s fur. He let the water run over his head and wipes his eyes before taking a small amount of shampoo to massage it into the dog’s back. He worked the lather up and carefully washed his face and around his ears being sure he didn’t get it in his eyes or ears. Sam rinsed the suds from Bruno’s body and made sure to get his belly before shutting the water off.

Before Sam could drape a towel over Bruno’s body, he started shaking his entire body sending drops of water everywhere. Sam cried out as he held his hand up to try and stop the drops of flying water from splashing in his face.

“Okay, okay,” he cried out laughing hard. “I can take my own shower thank you.”

Once Bruno stopped shaking, Sam took a towel and began to dry him off. He dropped the towel over his head and rubbed his face, being careful to wipe his eyes and checked his ears. He picked up each foot and dried it and let Bruno jump from the tub.

“Now, my turn,” Sam told him starting the water again and stripping out of his clothes. He got in the tub and let the hot water run over his dirty body getting the dirt and grass washed away. He looked out and saw Bruno had laid down by the tub to wait on him. He shampooed his hair and soaped down his body before rinsing. After turning off the water, Sam reached out to get a towel and found Bruno standing there holding one for him. “Thank you, Bruno,” Sam praised him. He dried his body and hair before cinching the towel around his hips and headed into the other room to get some sleep clothes. Once he was dressed, Sam pulled down the sheets and adjusted the pillows so he could settle back and watch the television.

Sam patted the bed and Bruno jumped up beside him to settle at his side. He rolled over so Sam could scratch his stomach. His cell beeped again with a message, but Sam ignored it, content to lay there and watch an old movie as he rubbed Bruno. He was almost lost in a trance, not even seeing what was on the screen.

When the movie ended, Sam turned off the television and adjust the pillows before turning off the lamp by his bed. He could feel Bruno’s body molded against his back and knew it felt so right. He was keeping him even if he had to move from the bunker. Sam didn’t think Dean would even care considering how it was between them right now. He would find a place in town that allowed pets and they would settle in and have a good life.

Sam’s dreams were filled with running, playing, and lounging around with Bruno. Nothing else mattered to him except making Bruno happy and taking care of him. He could picture them spending the rest of their lives together. He slept deeply and hardly moved through the night.

**spn**

Sam rolled over when the room started getting brighter with a new day and opened his eyes. This was the first restful sleep he had gotten in a very long time. He felt refreshed and invigorated and ready to start the day.

“Good morning boy,” Sam whispered to Bruno who lifted his head and wagged his tail happy Sam was awake. “Let me get some clothes on and I’ll take you out.” With the word _out,_ Bruno was off the bed and at the door looking back at Sam wanting him to hurry. Sam laughed at him and found clean clothes before going to the bathroom to change and use it. He came out and grabbed the collar and leash to slip onto Bruno before cracking the door to check that no one was out there before slipping out and dashing around the corner.

He walked down the sidewalk and let Bruno explore several vacant lots before finding a place to use the bathroom. Sam waited patiently and when he was done, used a bag to pick up the poop. He continued to walk down the street for another thirty minutes before turning around to head back. Sam was getting hungry and he had to decide where to go from here to find the creature. His thoughts suddenly spun another way without him wondering why.

“What if I see if there’s a dog park around here?” Sam asked Bruno. “You wanna go play at a dog park?”

Bruno bounced up and down and barked happily as he pranced around Sam.

“Then it’s settled, we’ll have breakfast and see if there’s a dog park we can go to. Maybe we’ll go on a hike on one of the trails outside of town…” Sam mumbled thinking it would be a great day to be outside with Bruno. It would just be them alone with Mother Nature.

Sam snuck Bruno back into this room and gave him breakfast while he packed his room up so they could leave if he couldn’t find any other leads on campus and no more pledges died. He didn’t see a reason to stay any longer than he needed to. He wanted to hit the road with Bruno and start his life with him.

**spn**

Dean cussed under his breath when his call went to voicemail again and Sam wasn’t answering his text. He had a bad feeling about this and couldn’t get past the gut feeling that Sam was in trouble. His case turned out to be nothing and he was trying to contact Sam to see if he needed help.

Getting tired of being ignored, Dean pulled up a tracking program and typed in Sam’s cell number to find out where he was. He waited as the program did its thing and brought up a town in Texas called Irving. He pulled up a map and found he was only three hours away, which was good. Dean took the time to see if anything strange or weird was happening there and found the articles on the three deaths at the college. This in itself was a little off and knew that was what Sam had to be checking out.

He did a little more research and looked on social media to find out more about this fraternity since it seemed to be the link for all three students that died. He found photos and thumbed through them, finding the same ones as Sam had with the guy with the glowing eyes. He realized the glow was only caused by camera flash but noticed the mirror in the background showed a fuzzy image of something not human, but unclear.

He got the feeling this was a monster that could take on human form and started going down the list. The articles didn’t say anything about the bodies being drained of blood or missing internal organs so that knocked out quite a few. A good candidate would be a shape shifter but changed his mind when he read a couple of posts and decided with the mirror image it sounded more like a siren. He remembered his run in with one and once it infected you could make you do whatever it wanted, even kill. Had it not been for Bobby, he was sure Sam and him would have killed each other. He cranked his Baby and headed for Texas. Maybe Sam would be pissed, but he would at least know he was okay, and he’d head back to the bunker if Sam didn’t want him around.

**spn**

It was late afternoon when Sam got back from his hike with Bruno. After showering and changing clothes, he took Bruno to campus to one of the outdoor restaurants for dinner. He took a table outside so Bruno could be with him and attached his leash to a steel post so he could go place his order.

Bruno sat up and growled deep in his chest when Sam came out with a young woman. He had met Mia again and asked her to join him at his table. She might be too young for him, but he did enjoy talking to her and was going to see if she knew any more about the deaths.

“Nice dog, what’s his name?”

“I call him Bruno, but he’s not mine. He just sort of found me the other day and we’ve been hanging together,” Sam said petting Bruno. “You don’t know of anyone that lost a dog, do you?”

“No, sorry, we’re not allowed to have animals on campus,” she shrugged.

The longer he talked to Mia, the more his mind began to go fuzzy and he lost his train of thought frequently. He didn’t seem to notice how she was flirting with him openly and how the dog was reacting to that. They finished their meal and Sam invited her to his room to continue their conversation even thought it was an unusual thing for him to do. They walked back to the motel and Sam let them into his room.

Something didn’t seem quite right to Sam as he tried to shake this feeling of not being in control of himself. He tried to hide it from Mia as she talked about where she was from and how she ended up going to this college. He rubbed his temples when it felt like someone was whispering to him, wanting him to do things he shouldn’t.

He looked over at Mia and saw she was rubbing Bruno and talking to him and his body stiffened. His one thought was she was going to try and take Bruno away from him. He could never let this happen.

Bruno fixed his eyes on Sam and seemed to be communicating with him as he played his role of cuddling up to Mia and then pretending to be ignoring Sam. Each time he glanced over at Sam he could see anger building in the human’s eyes and knew it wouldn’t take much more for Sam to attack the girl just like he wanted.

“Sam is something wrong?” Mia asked when she noticed he had stopped talking. She looked over at him and saw something that scared her in his eyes. “I-I think I should leave,” she said slowly as she got up from the table backing away from him.

“You can’t have him,” Sam growled as he got up his hands clenching into fist and his body going stiff. “He’s mine. I had nothing before he found me.”

“What are you talking about? Have who? You’re scaring me.”

“He’s my best friend and I don’t know what I would do without him. You think you can worm your way into my life just to steal him away because he’s so awesome. You have to be stopped and there’s only one way to do that. I have to kill you. Bruno has brought me nothing but happiness and love and peace. My life is so much better now with him in it. I’ll kill anyone who tries to come between us or take him.”

Sam advanced toward Mia as his face clouded with anger and she matched his steps backing away. When she tried to run, he grabbed her and threw her to the bed and straddled her to hold her down.

“He’s mine and only mine,” Sam spat as he reached to clasp his hands around her throat. He looked up at Bruno who was panting and dancing around and yipping at him. “Don’t worry, I’ll get rid of her. We’ll be together.”

Mia started hitting at Sam trying to make him stop. She cried out but her next scream was cut off when Sam began to strangle her. His long arms kept her fingers from his face as she clawed at him trying to escape.

**spn**

It was dark when Dean pulled into Irving and decided to check the motels near the campus since that is what he would do. The first motel was a bust and he went down to the next and drove through the parking lot to find Sam’s car parked in front of a room.

Dean got out and went to the trunk trying to decide what to take in with him. To play it safe he grabbed a silver knife and a brass knife before going to the door he hoped was his brother’s room. Dean started to knock when he heard a strangled cry of distress coming from the room. He stepped back and muscled the door open to take in the scene playing out in front of him.

Sam had a young woman pinned, laying across the bed, with his hands around her throat, choking her. His face was slack, and his eyes were empty. There was a big ass, brown dog in front of him dancing, jumping around and barking. Neither had noticed Dean when he broke in.

Dean knew he had to stop Sam from killing the girl. He knocked Sam’s hands away from the girl’s throat and grabbed him by the shoulder to drag him off onto the floor and pinned him down with a knee to the back. He looked back up when the dog jumped on the bed and bared his fangs at Dean growling loudly.

Glancing at the reflection on the TV screen, he saw the creature’s true image as it snapped at him. It was hideous and he knew he had found the monster. He pulled the brass knife from his jacket and poked Sam in the arm hard enough to draw blood and swiped the blade across it.

The dog attacked before he could turn back and knocked Dean to the floor as it tried to bite him and get to his mouth so it could poison him and take control of him. Dean had an arm under the dog’s neck pushing the mouth full of sharp teeth away and drew back to slam the knife into its side several times.

The dog howled, then shrieked weirdly in pain and agony as its body began to wither and dry up before turning to ash. Dean quickly jumped up and grimaced as he brushed the remains from his jacket. He looked over to Sam who was picking himself up from the floor as if he was waking up, the slack, empty appearance fading until Dean saw his brother again in his face. Sam looked around shocked and confused, not sure what was going on or why Dean was there. He saw the girl on the bed and some of it came back. He thought she was going to take Bruno and he had to stop her. His stomach churned and he felt sick when he realized he had attacked her to stop her.

Dean remained silent as he went to the young woman and checked to be sure she was still alive before picking her up and carrying her from the room, leaving Sam standing alone by the bed watching. Dean was going to take her to the ER and leave her so she could be checked out. He didn’t know if Sam would want him around, so he was going to head back to the bunker.

Sam watched his brother leave and looked down at the pile of ash on the floor near him. He saw the collar he had bought among the ashes and knew it was Bruno. He had been the monster he was looking for and knew he had been infected by him. He couldn’t help the tears that pricked his eyes with the loss.

He went to the bathroom to bandage his arm before grabbing his things and leaving. Sam knew he didn’t want to still be in the area when Mia came to after what he did to her. He barely remembered why he’d attacked her, or what had happened while he was under the siren’s thrall. He realized the siren had been controlling him since that first lick to his face and mouth, preventing him from noticing, and controlling his focus.

He shuddered, thankful that Dean had shown up when he had, otherwise…Well, he would have killed that poor woman. Shaking his head, he decided to focus on the present. Sam was sure Dean would be heading back to the bunker and wasn’t sure what he was going to do, even if he’d be welcome back there now. He decided to just drive aimlessly for a while and let his head finish clearing and think. He’d figure it out later.

**The End**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: And we move on to the next letter in this assortment of short stories. I hope you have been enjoying the array of creatures that the boys ran across at different times in their lives. Thank you for taking this journey with me as we’re nearing the end of it. Comments would be great. NC**

* * *

**T & U**

**Part I**

Sam walked up the stairs to the second floor and strolled down the hall to the end. He stopped between two doors and looked toward the bathroom but didn’t see his brother. He turned to their bedroom and looked in seeing a mound still in his brother’s bed. He stepped into the room and to the foot of the bed.

“Hey, you getting up today?” he asked his brother who was buried under the covers. He saw movement for a moment and spoke again. “Dean, it’s almost noon…” Sam trailed off not sure what to do for his brother. Their father had sacrificed his life to save Dean and he still hadn’t been able to deal with that even after the time that had passed. He would still wake Sam up at night crying out and fighting some unknown foe. He would try to comfort him, but Dean wouldn’t have it.

“Go ‘ay,” a mumbled voice answered him from under the covers.

“Look man, all you’ve been doing since…Dad died is work on the Impala and stay in bed. You hardly eat, you don’t sleep, you’re drinking way too much, and you won’t talk to me…” Sam’s voice cracked and hitched at the end as he fought to control the raw emotions flooding his mind. “You’re not the only one who’s hurting. I lost Dad too, but you can’t stop living. You’ve got to go on and make Dad proud of you. He gave you a second chance at life, don’t throw it away,” Sam preached to him. He was told almost the same thing from Bobby when he wanted to give up and decided to pass the wisdom along to his brother. “Look, I’m making some lunch. Why don’t you get a shower and join me? Bobby had to go out on a tow job and won’t be back until later.” Sam sighed when Dean didn’t answer and turned to head back downstairs. He didn’t know how to reach his brother and get him out of this funk.

The house was quiet as Sam made sandwiches, lost in his thoughts until he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and smiled to himself. He watched as Dean trudged into the room, his hair still damp from a shower. Sam thought at least it was a start. If he could motivate Dean, maybe he would start acting like himself again.

“I’ve got sandwiches and chips, you want coffee, tea, or water to drink?” Sam asked him as Dean pulled a chair out and sat down.

“Coffee,” Dean mumbled looking down at the plate Sam sat in front of him. He drew in a slow breath, knowing he needed to eat. What he was doing to himself was not helping anyone and hurting those around him.

Sam sat down beside Dean and put a cup of coffee within his reach. He picked up his sandwich and began to eat, trying not to seem so nervous knowing Dean would pick up on it. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Dean finally started to eat his sandwich. Sam took another bite and washed it down with some water before speaking.

“How’s it coming on the Impala?”

Dean glanced at him for a moment and continued to chew the food in his mouth. Once he had swallowed, he wet his lips and answered. “Slow, need a few more parts.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

Dean looked up at him with a frown that he would even ask. He knew Sam was not mechanically inclined and barely knew how to change the oil in a car. But something broke off inside of him and he realized he should have been showing Sam how to do things on the car because one day, and it might be sooner rather than later, he wasn’t going to be here, and the car would be his. Once he had his Baby up and running again, he was going to do that.

“Naw, still banging out the dents and straightening metal right now.”

“If you want help all you have to do is ask.”

“Thanks,” Dean mumbled and went back to eating his sandwich.

Sam remained silent not sure what else he could say at the moment. He didn’t want Dean to shut him out again like he had been. He would let him decide when he wanted to talk and be there to listen. They finished the meal and Dean went out to the garage to work on the Impala and Sam grabbed his laptop to see if there were any possible hunts. He thought getting Dean back in the game would be the push he needed.

**spn**

It was late afternoon when Sam strolled into the garage to find Bobby and Dean working on the Impala. He stood to the side and waited for them to notice him.

“Sam,” Bobby said when he saw him standing in the doorway.

“Hey, I brought you guys something to drink,” Sam offered holding up a water and a cup of coffee.

“Thanks son,” Bobby acknowledged taking the cup and looking at Dean who grunted something when Sam sat the water within his reach. He looked at Sam’s fallen face and knew the boy was hurting, both of them were, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

“Ummm…I was looking online, and I might have found a case,” Sam started glancing at Bobby and back to Dean. “If I could borrow a vehicle Bobby, I thought I’d go check it out.”

Dean froze and looked at Sam with a scowl on his face. He let his mind process what Sam had said before answering.

“You’re not going on a hunt alone,” he stated sternly.

Sam stiffened and stood his full height as he looked at his brother.

“Why not? I’m an adult and trained just as good as you are. The monsters aren’t going to stop killing people just because we were sidelined for a while.”

“I’m not letting you do this alone, we’ll leave in the morning,” Dean stated before turning back to what he was doing on the car.

Bobby looked hard at Sam and saw the twinkle in his eyes and the almost smirk on his face before he turned away. He knew Dean had just been played by his little brother. He had to give the boy credit, the need to protect Sam, won out over his misery and grief. Sam had thought this out and executed it without a flaw. He had to give him an A plus on this sneaky move.

“I’m going to check the weapon’s bag and pack,” Sam said. He turned to head back to the house, feeling Bobby’s gaze on him and darted his eyes his way giving him a smirky smile.

“You got something we can drive?” Dean asked with a huff, none the wiser what his brother had done.

**spn**

The beat-up Chevy wasn’t much to look at, but the engine ran smoothly after Bobby had worked his magic. Dean wasn’t happy to be leaving his Baby behind, but he didn’t have her running yet, so he had to madk the best of it. He looked over at his brother who was looking at an atlas to be sure they were taking the quickest route to Winslow, Arizona.

Sam had filled him in last night after dinner about some articles he had found online. People were disappearing from the town. And it wasn’t just towns folk, visitors were going missing too. One eyewitness says it was a monster that took his friend. All he could tell the locals was it looked like a snake, a huge snake. The cops figured he was seeing things since him and his friend had been smoking weed right before it happened. Sam wasn’t sure this was a case, but something was happening in that town.

This was the first hunt they had taken since their father died and Dean hated to admit it, but it felt good to be on the road again, but he missed his Baby. The traffic was light and moving at a good pace and the weather was cooperating with clear, blue skies for their travels.

“Why don’t we break the driving up, you drive for five hours and then I’ll take over and do the same before stopping for the night?” Sam asked looking up at his brother. “No need to wear ourselves out getting there.”

“Sure, why not,” Dean replied his voice dull and monotone.

“Alright,” Sam said. He ignored his brother’s indifference and did some mapping before finding a place to stop for the night. “It’s going on two now, why don’t you let me drive when you stop next for gas? By the time I drive about the five hours, that’ll put us near some decent towns to find a motel for the night.”

Dean grunted and glanced at the gas gauge seeing he would need to stop for gas soon anyway. He’d let his brother take point on this one but be ready to step in if needed. It was almost an hour before Dean pulled off the interstate to get gas and swap out driving.

As soon as he stopped, Sam got out and headed inside to find the restrooms and grab something to drink. Dean filled the car and moved it to a parking spot before following his brother inside. He passed him at the front and tossed the car keys to him while heading to the back to the restrooms.

Sam was sort of surprised at how easy Dean gave up driving, but he thought maybe it was because this wasn’t his Baby and he didn’t care who drove it. He went on out with his purchases and settled into the driver’s seat to wait on Dean. It wasn’t long before he came out with a drink and pie in hand. Once he got situated in the passenger seat, Sam started the car and headed back to the interstate to continue their journey. He was at least happy the radio worked so there wouldn’t be total silence inside the car. He left it on the station Dean had found since it played what he liked too.

**spn**

Darkness had caught up with them, and Sam decided to drive a little farther since he didn’t feel tired. He looked over at his brother and saw he was still sleeping and had been for the past hour since their last stop for gas. He wouldn’t need to stop again for gas and wanted to get that much closer to Winslow. He fiddled with the radio to find another station since they lost the last one, finally finding one he liked. He heard Dean snort softly in his sleep as he shifted positions against the side door. He focused his attention back on the road and drummed his fingers to the beat of the music.

Sam yawned and glanced at his watch deciding it was time to stop. He started looking for a decent motel that would be in their price range as he passed the information signs. It wasn’t long before he found one and signaled to change lanes and exit the interstate.

The change in the motion of the car had Dean grunting and sitting up looking around with sleep filled eyes. He rubbed a hand down his face and shook himself enough to wake up.

“Where are we?” he asked seeing Sam had pulled off the main road and was heading toward a motel.

“I’m stopping for the night,” Sam told him pulling up to the building marked office and stopping. “You want to get us a room, or should I?”

“I’ll go,” Dean grunted sitting up straighter. He got out and headed for the door leading to the office and disappeared inside.

Sam rolled his shoulders and sighed with weariness. He probably should have stopped sooner but he was in the groove and knew the faster they got to Winslow, the sooner they could see if this was a case for them or not. He looked up when Dean came out and motioned him to follow with the car. He walked around the building to the back where the rooms were. Sam started the car and eased around the corner after Dean, stopping in a space in front of a room he was opening the door to. He cut the engine and got out to open the trunk and get their bags.

Dean held the door for Sam and let it close behind them. Sam sat their bags on the beds and looked around for a moment before looking to Dean.

“I’m gonna walk down to the convenience store and grab a six pack,” Dean told him pocketing the key and moving back to the door.

“You sure?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, I slept on the drive.” Dean opened the door before Sam could say anything else and closed it behind him.

Sam stood there staring at the closed door as his shoulders slumped knowing there was no use going after him, he would be back when he was ready. He didn’t like that Dean’s drinking had increased, but there wasn’t much he could do to stop it, other than have a physical alteration, which he didn’t want. Deciding a shower could wait until the morning, Sam grabbed his bathroom bag and stepped into the bathroom to get ready for bed. He came out and stripped down to his briefs and tee shirt before crawling into bed, leaving a lamp on for Dean.

**spn**

Dean walked away from the room wanting to be by himself for a while. He looked around for a moment before heading to the road and down to the lights of the convenience store. The air was cool, but comfortable and the jacket felt good as he shoved his hands into the pockets glancing up at the night sky. It was too bright to see the stars from where he was at. He stepped into the store and looked around to find the cooler section where the beer was kept. After looking over the selection and grabbing a six pack, Dean headed for the cash register to pay and leave.

There was a small area with picnic tables and little grills off to the side of the of the motel that Dean decided to check out before going back inside. He was sure Sam had gone to bed and wanted to drink in peace without getting a lecture from him. Dean sat at one of the tables and opened a bottle of beer to take a long swallow while looking up at the stars sparkling brightly in the ebony sky. He zoned out and lost track of time, until five beers later the wail of a siren jogged him from his trance. Dean looked at the empty bottles sitting on the table wondering how he drunk them without even knowing it. Deciding it was a good time to head back to the room, he tossed the empties in a recycle bin and carried the one undrunk one back to the room.

The room was dimly lit by a single lamp and Sam was softly snoring in his bed. Dean slipped quietly into the room and headed for the bathroom to get ready for bed. He never saw Sam jerk and raise his head to see him step into the bathroom before turning over and going back to sleep. The beers gave him a slight buzz, but he was far from drunk as he took off his clothes and climbed into bed. He got comfortable and hoped sleep would come quickly since the beer had mellowed him.

The painful moan and cry had Sam sitting up in his bed and reaching for the gun under his pillow. He looked around trying to surmise what was going on and realized the sounds were coming from his brother’s bed. He threw back the covers and got out of bed, moving to the other one.

“Dean, hey man wake up,” Sam called to him shaking his shoulder and moving back from the flaying arms. He could barely make out a few words, _‘no and Dad’_ and knew Dean must be having another nightmare about their father. When Sam saw that didn’t pull him from the dream, he tried again. “It’s okay bro, come back…” Sam leaned close enough to cup his face in one of his hands while squeezing his shoulder with the other.

Dean opened his eyes staring through Sam and not seeing him. He mumbled something and rolled to his side snorting once before his breathing even out and he was asleep again.

Sam looked down at him and sighed heavily thinking Dean had gotten past the nightmares that had plagued him the first few weeks after their father’s death. He knew Dean wouldn’t remember having the nightmare since he never really woke up and wasn’t going to tell him about it. Once he saw his brother had settled back down, he went back to bed and lay there trying to go back to sleep himself. He listened to the nasally breathing from his brother and let it lull him back to sleep.

**spn**

When the Chevy pulled into Winslow, Dean was driving, and he looked around the town seeing the influence of the Native American culture on the town. It was located near two reservations and a third wasn’t too far away, south of the town. It was early evening, so they decided to get dinner and find a motel for their home base. They would visit the locals in the morning to see what they had and see about interviewing any witnesses. No bodies had been found, so they wouldn’t need to visit the morgue.

Sam was going to stop and get a map of the area so they could mark where the victims had disappeared from and go check the locations out. They needed to see if the locals found any connects between the victims or how they were chosen and hope that might give them a clue if this was a case for them.

“You want the bathroom first?” Sam asked his brother once they entered their motel room. It was a small nondescript motel that was less popular than the bigger chain ones but suited their needs and was clean and a good location with restaurants nearby.

“Yeah, sure,” Dean replied grabbing sleep clothes from his bag before stepping into the bathroom to shower.

Sam waited until he heard the water running before taking his cell phone out, not wanting Dean to know he was calling.

“Hey Bobby, we’re here,” Sam said quietly.

_“Any problems?”_ Bobby asked.

“No, we’ll go see the locals in the morning and see what they have.”

_“How’s your brother?”_

“About the same, still not himself, but I hope if this turns out to be a case it’ll snap him out of his funk. He had another nightmare last night.”

_“I had hoped those were over with. You watch him Sam, if his head’s not in the game, he could get himself or you hurt or killed.”_

“I know Bobby, I’ll be careful, and I’ll keep you informed.”

_“You do that Sam, and be careful son.”_

“We will, bye Bobby.” Sam hung his cell up and looked to the bathroom door hoping he wasn’t wrong in bringing Dean on a possible hunt. Maybe he was wrong, and he wasn’t ready to get into the game again. He was worried about him and didn’t know what else to do since he wouldn’t talk to him. Sam dug out sleep clothes and sat on the bed waiting his turn for the bathroom.

“All yours,” Dean stated when he opened the door and a cloud of steam billowed out behind him.

Sam startled for a moment and recovered quickly getting up and heading into the warm bathroom and closing the door. He dropped his clothes by the sink and turned to start the water running. His body was tired from the drive, but he hoped a hot shower was loosen the knots in his shoulders and neck.

He tilted the shower head as high as it would go before stripping and stepping into the tub. The hot water made him shiver at first until his body adjusted to it and he turned to wet his hair so he could shampoo it. Once he was done, Sam soaped down his body and rinsed but stood with his back to the hot spray, letting it beat on him. He stayed that way for several minutes relishing the loosening of his shoulders before moving to turn the water off and grab a towel to dry with. He slipped on his sleep clothes and ran the towel over his hair to get the wetness out before stepping into the other room.

Dean gave him a random glance through half closed eyes and turned back to the television to watch Dr. Sexy, MD, hoping it would put him to sleep. He ignored his brother who walked by and got into the other bed. He could hear him grunting and wiggling around as he got comfortable and settled down in his bed to either sleep or watch the television. He knew Sam was right, he wasn’t the only one hurting here, Sam was in just as much pain as he was, and Dean knew he should be stronger in the situation to help him, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t get past the fact their Dad died to save him. The heavy burden of guilt was weighting him down more than he dreamed it would and that was something he couldn’t share with Sam. That was his burden to carry. The program changed as the brothers fell asleep with the sound of the television playing quietly in the background.

**spn**

Sam opened the car door and got out adjusting his jacket as Dean rounded the front of the car to join him. They walked together to the door of the sheriff department and went inside to gather what information they could from them. The setup inside was atypical to most stations they had been in with a counter that split the room and a deputy behind it to greet the public. There were plastic uncomfortable chairs against the far wall and cork boards and a glass case on the wall. The walls were painted a random shade of tan and the floor was tiled squares with a few stained ones in the corner.

“Can I help you?” a male deputy asked when they stopped at the counter.

“I hope so, Agents Stiles and Russ, FBI. We’d like to speak with whoever overseeing the missing person cases,” Dean told him flipping his credentials out as Sam did the same.

“FBI,” the deputy noted looking the brothers up and down and then eyed his badges. “I’ll let the sheriff know you’re waiting. You can have a seat over there.” He picked up the phone from behind the counter and buzzed the back to speak to the sheriff.

The brothers moved to the chairs and took a seat to wait. Dean sat quietly letting his eyes roam and Sam’s leg began to bounce slightly as he leaned back in the seat clasping his hands in his lap. He didn’t even notice the action until Dean tapped his knee to make him stop. He straightened up and cleared his throat and planted both feet firmly on the floor so he wouldn’t do it again. It was ten minutes before a salt and pepper haired, older man in uniform stepped from the door behind the deputy.

“Good morning, I’m Sheriff Myers and you’re FBI?” he asked standing in front of the brothers.

“Yes, Sheriff, Agents Stiles and Russ, nice to meet you,” Dean replied standing and holding out his hand to shake.

“How can I help the FBI?”

“We were on our way back from our last case and got a call from out boss to swing by here and see if we could lend a hand with the disappearances around here.”

“Why don’t you two come back to my office and we can talk,” Myers said.

The brothers followed the sheriff around the counter and through the door into a squad room with desks, filing cabinets, in/out board, cabinet with large industrial coffee pot sitting on it, along with cups, creamer, sugar, packets of hot chocolate, and two boxes of tea. The sheriff moved through the area to the back of the room and stepped into an office. He moved around the desk and took a seat, motioning for Dean and Sam to have a seat in the two chairs in front of his desk.

“Alright agents, how can I help you?” he asked leaning back in the chair and staring hard at the brothers.

“When did the first person disappear?” Sam asked.

“Well, that’s hard to say since it seems there have been some homeless people that have gone missing too. At first, they were chalked up as them just moving on to another town or something. But now, with the others going missing we’re looking back at them again.”

“Sheriff, has anything changed or happened around here before the people went missing?”

“Let’s see,” Sheriff Myers thought, tapping his fingers on his desk and his brow furrowed. “The only big thing going on before that was a construction company was dynamiting out near the reservation so they could start building a housing development. Everything was put on hold when some Native American artifacts were unearthed. The tribe filed an injunction and they are fighting it out in court.”

Sam and Dean looked at each other as they silently communicated. It wasn’t good that something related to Native Americans was disturbed. There was not telling what could have be disturbed.

“Can we get copies of your police reports on all the missing people?” Dean asked.

“Of course, I’ll get Gains to start on that,” he nodded picking up his phone and calling into the squad room.

“Were there any witnesses that saw anything?”

“A pothead named Jeff Nolan, so you can’t believe what he says.”

“Where might we find this Jeff Nolan?”

“It’s all in the reports, though there’s not much there, but I guess you can find him at the garage over on Fourth Street where he works. If you do happen to find out anything, I trust you will contact me.”

“Of course, Sheriff,” Sam assured him.

“How do we find this construction site?” Dean asked.

“Take the main road out of town northwest to the Apache reservation. Bear left at Big Bluff Road and go five miles. You’ll see the site, it’s close to tribal land so be careful where you go.”

“Thank you, Sheriff, we’ll watch ourselves.”

All turned to look at the door when someone one knocked, and a deputy stuck his head in holding up a large envelope.

“Sheriff, what you asked for,” the deputy said.

“Thanks Gains give it to them,” he nodded to Dean.

“Sure.” Gains handed the envelope to Dean and closed the door.

“Okay Sheriff, thanks for the help and we’ll be in touch.” Dean got up and motioned for Sam to follow him as he headed out the door and back through the squad room to the door leading out. Sam nodded to the deputy in front before they exited the building. Dean didn’t say anything until they were settled back in the Chevy. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That maybe the explosions have unleashed some sort of Native American monster or spirit?”

“Yahzee!” Dean nodded cranking the Impala and pulling from the parking lot. He decided to head for the construction site first so they could check it out and see if anything might have been disturbed that shouldn’t have been.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Thanks for taking this journey with me and here you go with Part II of these letters. I hope you enjoy the read. I really liked writing this one. Comments would make my day. NC**

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**T & U**

**Part II**

It wasn’t hard to find the site of the construction with the fencing, construction equipment, office trailer, bull dozed and bare land all around the place. Dean stopped the Chevy near the trailer, and they got out looking around the empty lot.

Dean wandered one way and Sam went another way scoping things out. Dean never saw Sam disappear over a small hill until he turned to tell him something and he wasn’t there. His body stiffened and he went on high alert as he backtracked and went in search of his brother.

“Sammy?” Dean called, listening for a response. He hurried up the hill and looked down the incline, searching for his brother until he saw him standing by a crop of rocks kneeling and looking at something about a hundred yards away. He slid down the loose dirt trying to keep his balance until he could get better footing. “What’ve you got there Sammy?”

Sam looked over his shoulder at his brother as he came abreast of him. 

“Look at this,” Sam said moving dirt off rocks to reveal symbols that had been carved into the rocks. He kept brushing the dirt away and used his twig to clean the soil from inside the carvings.

“What is it?”

“I have no idea.” Sam stood up and gazed around seeing another outcrop of rocks further away and started walking toward them. He moved around them and knelt to dig around the bottom of the rocks and after a foot found more symbols like the first. He started to get up to call to Dean when he saw him walking toward him with his hands up. Sam went on the defensive and reached for his gun but froze when he heard one cocking behind him.

“I wouldn’t do that,” a male voice cautioned him.

Sam slowly raised his hands and waited for his brother to join him and turned to look at the Native Americans that had them at gunpoint.

“What are you doing on tribal land and disturbing burial sites?” one asked staring angrily at Dean.

“We’re looking into the disappearances of the people around here and want to stop the monster that is doing it,” Dean said boldly.

“What are these symbols? Were they a barrier or spell that trapped the monster somewhere around here and when this construction started, their blasting has unleashed something back into the world,” Sam added seeing the look that his words had hit a nerve with several of the men.

“Who are you?” another one asked.

“We’re hunters and hunt supernatural monsters that are out there in the world killing people,” Dean answered. “So, you wanna fill us in on what’s going on around here?”

“You need to come with us,” the oldest of the four told them. He turned to another that looked his age who spoke to him in their native language while looking at the brothers in anger.

“I’m driving,” Dean stated. He started walking back to the Chevy with Sam following close behind him who was hoping no one shot them.

When they got back to the Chevy, there was only one of the four still with them. Dean and Sam got in the front and the unknown man got in the back. He gave Dean directions on where to drive that took them by a country store where he was told he needed to purchase gifts before continuing. Dean send Sam in to get the items before they backtracked to continue onto the reservation and to the village. He was directed to the outskirts of the place to a small cabin with a tin roof that sat alone from the others. There was no grass around the place, only dirt and scraggly shrub brush. The cabin needed some work, as did most of the houses there, but was livable.

After parking by the cabin, the man got out and motioned them to stay outside while he went to the door and knocked before entering. They stood in the hot sun with the gifts waiting to be invited in. Sam pushed his damp hair from his face and wiped his arm across his forehead to remove the sweat. Dean ran a hand over his face and wiped it on his jeans leg and wondered how long they would have to wait and started to move to the shade of the porch when the door was opened, and the man came out.

“Grandfather will see you now,” he told them, opening the door wider for them to enter. “He is the Shaman of our tribe, be respectful. I’m Jacob.”

“Dean, and my brother Sam,” Dean introduced them.

Dean and Sam went in through the door into the cabin, quickly taking in the sparse surroundings. There was a living room and kitchen that was divided by a table with four chairs and through a doorway they could see a small bedroom and bathroom. They were led on through the house and out the back door to a rear deck.

Sitting in a rocking chair was an elderly Native American of undetermined age who was smoking a corn cob pipe and staring off in the distance. His hair was almost white and braided into two braids that hung to the side of his head and down onto this chest. His clothes were worn and patched but clean. His eyes held a lifetime of wisdom and knowledge. His body was shrunken, and his skin looked like tan leather from the exposure to the sun. His fingers were drawn and bony as he pulled a pack of gum out and took out a piece. He popped it in his mouth and began to chew it, a small smile on his face. A soft breeze was blowing up small dust clouds across the yard and did little to cool the day.

“Grandfather,” the man spoke before speaking in his native language. He turned to Dean when he finished speaking. “Give him the gifts.”

Dean took Sam’s bag and stepped to the elderly Shaman and offered him the bags with tobacco, hard candy, coffee, sugar and chewing gum. He bowed his head to him and stepped back waiting to be addressed. Once the Shaman looked into the bags and nodded, the man motioned Sam and Dean to take a seat on a handmade wooden bench that groaned with their combined weight. Neither moved, afraid that it would collapse. He stepped inside for a moment and came back out with two small bottles of water that he handed each brother who gladly accepted them and quickly drained them.

The Shaman spoke to his grandson for a moment and stopped so he could translate for him.

“Grandfather wants you to know that a great evil has been released onto this world,” he paused looking to the Shaman and waiting, knowing he would tell the rest of the story.

“That land was never to be disturbed, but the old ways are not practiced anymore, and our people have forgotten and become careless and weak,” the Shaman spoke, his voice barely a whisper that had the brothers leaning closer to hear.

“Can he tell us what this evil is?” Sam asked looking to the Shaman with concern.

“It is called by my people a Unktehila, but it has been called by many different names over the centuries by many different tribes. It is a dangerous underworld reptilian spirit that takes on the form of a giant serpent. It will want to devour mankind and destroy the world if it is not stopped.”

“How do we stop it?” Dean asked not liking the sound of this monster.

“There is only one being that can destroy the Unktehilas like they did the first time they roamed the land, the Thunderbirds.”

“Thunderbird, what’s that?” Sam asked perking up wanting to hear about it. It seemed he remember reading something about them in one of Bobby’s many books on supernatural creatures he had.

“It is a massive. noble being that is strong, intelligent, powerful and the guardian of the upper world. It protects mankind from the likes of the Unktehilas. The Thunderbirds control the winds, thunder and lighting. With a flap of its mighty wings, thunder rolls across the sky. Lightning bolts shoot from its eyes, its beak is filled with sharp teeth and its talons are sharp and deadly. To look upon one is a great honor.”

“So, how do we get this bird thing to help us?” Dean asked getting a frown from Sam at his crude bluntness.

“Only a warrior can summon the creature back to Earth,” the Shaman said. He stopped and chewed his gum as he looked at the brothers with knowing eyes like he was looking into their very souls.

Sam wasn’t sure what to say or do as he shifted making the bench creak but was dumbstruck with the Shaman’s next words.

“It cannot be you,” he started pointing to Sam. “You have a shadow of darkness in you that has yet to be released. You do not shine brightly, but there is still hope if you choose the right path.”

Dean’s eyes widen as what his Dad told him came rushing back. _He had to save Sammy and if he couldn’t, he would have to kill him._ He wasn’t sure what the Shaman was seeing in Sam, but it scared him and made his concern grow bigger.

“You are the warrior that will summon the Thunderbird,” the Shaman noted turning to Dean who looked up in surprise.

“You shine brightly and are brave and fierce. You have seen much in your life and you will have more to confront if this world survives. Bring my medicine bag,” he told Jacob who was standing beside him.

He bowed and went back inside to do as bidden. Neither brother had spoken as they mulled over what they had been told. A few minutes later Jacob stepped back on the deck with an old, tanned leather pouch and handed it to his grandfather.

The Shaman pulled the drawstring and rummaged around in the bag for a moment before pulling out a worn rolled up piece of hide.

“Take this grandson and translate for the warrior. He will need to do this today before the Unktehila needs to feed again. The more he feeds the stronger he will become.”

Jacob took the hide and excused himself to go back in the house for paper and pen.

“You will need to wear this,” the Shaman indicated holding out a leather thong with an amulet attached to it. “It will let the Thunderbird know you are the chosen one and to come when you call.”

Dean reached out and took the necklace, looking at it for a moment before slipping it over his head to let it lay on his chest. It seemed heavier than it looked and wondered what it was made of. It was a smooth, thin, blue stone that had been carved with a language he couldn’t read.

“Take these,” he offered holding out several bottles of paint and a handmade, thin brush. “Your brother must be painted with the symbols of our warriors as they prepare for battle. The warrior will be required to make a blood offering for the ritual to be complete.”

Sam took the vials and brush and looked at them with pinched brow. The Shaman’s words had disturbed him, and he wanted to know what he meant.

“What is this shadow you see in me?” Sam asked carefully.

The Shaman looked up to Sam with wise eyes and held out a trembling hand to him. Sam got up and went to kneel in front of him and offered his hand. He tried not to wince when he took it in a tight grip and closed his eyes. Sam waited, not sure what was happening as he felt the sudden tremble in the Shaman’s body before he jerked away and looked at Sam with hooded eyes.

“What did you see?” Sam asked. “What’s wrong?”

Before the Shaman could answer, Jacob stepped out and handed his grandfather the rolled hide and a folded piece of paper. He looked at Sam for a moment but didn’t say anything.

“You will need to follow the ritual exactly. The symbols of our tribe are at the bottom. They will need to be painted on you before you start. Go to where the land has been ravaged to perform it. The fate of the world is in your hands now. I will gather the elders and pray to the ancestors for your victory.” He closed his eyes and bowed his head ending their conversation.

“You should go now,” Jacob told them. “He is done.”

“But I have questions,” Sam started but was interrupted by Dean.

“We need to go,” Dean told him pulling him to his feet and giving him a gentle push off the deck. “Is there anything on here that we won’t be able to find?” he asked Jacob while holding up the paper.

“I think not, good luck.”

Sam started to argue with Dean until he pulled him around the house at toward the Chevy.

“Stop it,” he hissed. “I want to know what he saw.”

“We’ve got more important things to deal with right now Sammy. Didn’t you hear him, the world is at stake here. We need to do this ritual and hopefully summon a Thunderbird.”

“You mean you need to, not me, I’m shadowed in darkness,” he spat sarcastically. He dropped heavily into the passenger seat of the Chevy knowing Dean was right. The world came first over his needs. He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted as Dean turned the car around and headed back to the construction site.

**spn**

Dean drove in silence. He could feel the bitchy mood his brother was in, but there were more important things for them to deal with right now than his pouting little brother. He knew why he had been chosen because he was a warrior and had been trained that way by their Dad. He didn’t like it, but now was not the time to complain. He had no choice but to do what the Shaman wanted and hoped for the best.

Sam stared out the side window, not seeing the scenery as he went by. He was lost inside himself and ignored Dean since he was pissed at him. He wanted to go back and talk to the Shaman but didn’t think he would be welcome on the reservation unescorted. Sam knew he was going to have to shove these feelings and questions into a box for later and get his head in the game. Being distracted is the quickest way to get yourself hurt or killed. He had to have Dean’s back in this thing and hope they both come out of this unscathed.

“Hey, are you listening to me?” Dean asked slapping his arm to get his attention.

“What?” Sam asked.

“Look at this ritual and see if we have what we need to do it.” Dean pushed the paper toward him and concentrated back on the road.

Sam picked up and unfolded the paper so he could scan the ingredients and what needed to be done to do the ritual. He fumbled around in his pockets until he found a pen and went over them again, marking each one he knew they had in the trunk. The last one was blood and he looked to Dean before checking it off. He got his cell out and looked up one item he wasn’t familiar with and searched it to find it could be found in the wild around here.

“There’s one plant we need to find. Pull off somewhere before you get to the site. We’ll have to look around in forest for it.”

Dean saw a pull off that had woods on either side and slowed to steer onto it and stop.

“So, what are we looking for?” he asked squinting when Sam turned his cell for him to see the plant. The plant had white or lavender flowers that grew up on a stem with leaves a dark green with five to seven toothed rounded lobes.

“It’s called Malva Parviflora or Cheeseweed Mallow. This time of year, there may not be blooms but have wrinkled, disk like fruit sectioned in lobes.”

“Right geek boy.”

Sam got out and stepped to the edge of the woods and stopped, looking one more time at the picture before moving between the trees and into the forest. He started looking at the growth on the ground searching for it. Sam could hear Dean mumbling about having to hike through the woods trying to find a dumb plant. It took twenty minutes before Dean yelled at him that he thought he had found it. Sam followed his voice and stopped to look where Dean was pointing at a plant that was nestled under a stand of mesquite bosque.

“I’m not climbing under there,” Dean stated firmly. “I found it; you retrieve it.”

Sam grunted as he dropped on his hands and knees and cussed when sharp thorns stuck him in the neck and hands. He dropped to his stomach and squirmed closer finally able to grab the several of the plants and scoot out with his prizes. He hissed _‘jerk’_ under his breath as he checked his hands and rubbed the scratches on his face and neck.

“Let’s get out of here, these bugs are having lunch off of me,” Dean complained. “Quit being a bitch, it’s only a couple of scratches.” He headed back toward the road not checking to see if Sam was following. He could hear the breaking twigs behind him and knew he was coming. Dean swatted at the bugs as he cleared the trees and sighed with relief to be out of the muggy darkness. He went around to the driver’s side and got in as Sam cleared the trees and opened the passenger side to get in. “Is that it? We have everything now?”

“Yes, we have the rest in the trunk.”

“Good, I’m ready to get this over with and head back to Bobby’s.” Dean cranked the car and pulled back onto the road to finish the trip to the site that was still twenty minutes away. Once he was at the site, Dean parked at the fence and got out to head around to the trunk. He met Sam there and they began to gather everything needed for the ritual and packed the items in a small bag. Dean led them to where Sam had found the carved stones and looked around deciding to use a small outcrop of rocks that were about waist high.

“I need to paint the symbols on you first,” Sam told him. “Take off your jacket and shirt,”

Dean huffed but did as Sam asked and removed them, tossing them to the rocks and faced Sam while he looked at the paper and picked up one of the vials of paint. He took the brush and began to draw on Dean’s arms, double checking each one before moving to the next. He did his face last, carefully drawing the circles, dots and waves on his cheek. He stepped back once he was done and looked at his brother as he stood there holding his arms out waiting for the paint to dry. The heat of the sun quickly did its job and Dean wiggled his face feeling his skin tighten where the paint was and wanted to scratch it but knew he couldn’t.

“Now the next step,” Sam said pulling the ingredients from the pack and laying them by a brass bowl Dean had sat on the rock. He stepped back as Dean looked at the paper before dropping things into the bowl.

Sam looked around when he heard noises of something coming toward them. He couldn’t see anything but could tell it seemed big and was not slowing.

“Dean, I think you need to speed it up,” Sam cautioned him, pulling his gun and standing in front of Dean.

“Almost there,” Dean grunted pulling a knife and stilling himself as he cut into the fleshly part of his palm and letting his blood drip into the bowl. He wrapped a bandana around his hand and looked toward where the noise was getting louder. He grabbed matches and lit one as he read off the words from the paper and dropped the match into the bowl.

As soon as the flame hit the contents of the bowl, a bright, large, orange flames shot upward toward the sky sending Dean stumbling backwards as the heat reddened is face. The flames twirled upward creating a huge cloud of grey, billowing smoke that started filling the area around the brothers. Dean coughed as it seemed to thicken and made it hard to see.

“Sammy?” Dean called to him as his brother disappeared in the smoke.

“Dean!” Sam’s voice called back.

The noise was getting closer and a heavy hissing echoed through the area. Sam wiped his eyes and squinted as a dark shape continued to move toward them. He raised his gun ready to fire when it got closer.

Dean looked up into the sky when a shrill, high pitched call made him cover his ears. A strong wind suddenly swept over them, clearing the smoke away so they could see. Dean stepped closer to Sam and pulled his gun out too when he saw the huge, snake like creature wiggling toward them.

Before either of the brothers could fire at it, a large shadow moved over them and the wind picked back up. They looked up to see an eagle like bird with deep red/orange feathers covering its body. It looked as if the body was on fire as it moved through the sky. The wingspan of the Thunderbird had to be thirty feet and it stood about fifteen feet tall. It had a long flowing tail that fanned out behind it for guidance and balance. The large claws had long curved talons that looked razor sharp and its beak was filled with equally sharp teeth.

The brothers stared in awe at it, watching the Thunderbird swoop down toward the Unktehila dive bombing it and stopping it from moving on the brothers. Loud claps of thunder suddenly had the ground shaking as the Thunderbird flapped its wings fast and shrieking in rage as it extended its claws and raked them across the Unktehila’s body gouging dark rows of gashes that spilled black, thick, nauseous smelling blood. The Unktehila lashed out with its spiked tail trying to catch the Thunderbird off guard.

Grey clouds began to gather overhead, and lightening bounced across from one to the other and thunder echoed across the land, but not near as loud as the Thunderbird’s own. The storm was moving closer as Mother Nature released her fury onto the Earth.

Dean dove at Sam and knocked him from his feet when the Unktehila rolled away from the attack and lashed out its tail that would have hit Sam had Dean not interceded with his action. They rolled away from the thrashing body as the Thunderbird shot bolts of lightning from its eyes striking its foe randomly over its body and around it throwing up chunks of dirt into the air. High pitched wails and hisses filled the air around the brothers as they covered their ears and looked on to see the Thunderbird go after the monster again. They covered their eyes when dust and debris pelted them, feeling like little needles striking their bare skin.

With one swift move, the Thunderbird grabbed the Unktehila behind the head with its beak and in the middle of the its body with its talons and flapped its wings hard, lifting the monster off the ground as it struggled and fought to get free. The Thunderbird used it deadly beak to bite and rip at the flesh until the head was severed and fell to the earth, raining black, tar like blood on the ground below. It shrieked its victory and flapped its wings releasing rolling thunder from them. After dropping the dead Unktehila body to the ground, where it began to rot away and was absorbed into the soil, the Thunderbird glided to the ground in front of the brothers who were picking themselves up and brushing off.

It looked from one to the other and bowed its head before chirping at them. The Thunderbird took flight and with the flap of its strong wings scattered the clouds to the horizon, allowing the last of the sun’s rays to shine brightly.

“Wow! Did that just happen?” Sam asked letting out a long breath as he touched some tender spots on his face and looked at pin pricks of blood on his hand.

“I don’t know about you, but I say we head back to town. I need a long hot shower,” Dean stated shaking his arms and grimacing at the splatter of blood on his arms and tee shirt. He sniffed and coughed hard when he caught the scent. “I was hoping that was you I was smelling.”

“Screw you,” Sam muttered going to the rock and gathering their things so they could leave.

Dean snagged his jacket and shirt and gave the wet ground where the Unktehila had disappeared, one final look before turning on his heels and heading back toward the Chevy. He scratched at the paint on his face and would be glad to get it washed away. He covered his seat with his shirt before getting in and cleared his throat when Sam opened the door and started to get in. He looked over at Dean frowning slightly and it dawned on him what Dean wanted. He snorted and pulled off his jacket turning it inside out and put on the seat before sitting down.

“Don’t need to smell this shit all the way home,” Dean mumbled as he cranked the car.

The Chevy headed back to the motel with the threat eliminated and the world save by an ancient creature summoned by two brothers. No one would know what they did, but the tribes that lived nearby.

**The End**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: We are in the home stretch now, only a few more stories left in this venue. I hope you have enjoyed the hunts and the creatures I used. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I do like comments. NC**

**I hope everyone stays safe during these trying times. Just like all the other diseases we have faced, we will get through this one too.**

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* * *

**V & W**

Sam stepped from his bedroom and started down the hall to the kitchen. The place was quiet, and he paused at his brother’s bedroom door wondering if he should check on him. Dean had taken it hard when their Mom decided she needed space and left them behind. Mary had been brought back by Amara, the Darkness and God’s sister, since Dean had gotten her and her brother, Chuck/God back together again. She gave Dean his deepest desire and that was to have his Mom back. It was a huge adjustment for Mary since the last time she saw them Dean was four and he was six months old. So much had happened and changed over the years, she was trying to play catchup, which wasn’t easy.

It hurt Dean so much more than Sam since he didn’t really know his Mom or have memories of her. He was an adult now and was trying to get to know her but could see she was struggling with being brought back. They were both trying to form a relationship and it was hard. She had missed most of their lives and so much had happened to them during that time that she didn’t know about. It was like they were strangers to her and couldn’t connect again.

Knowing Dean probably wouldn’t want the intrusion, Sam continued down the hall and through the map room to the library and stopped short when he found Dean sitting in the library on his laptop. He had a neutral, almost noncaring look on his face and didn’t look up as Sam continued to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He came back and sat down across from Dean waiting to see if he would say anything. Sam had tried to talk to Dean, but he shut him down and put up walls, closing himself off.

“Found a hunt,” Dean said. His voice was dull and hard as he spoke, before getting up to head down the steps. “I’ll go pack.”

Sam sat there stunned at first, his cup still in midair, getting ready to take a sip. He had wanted Dean to get out of the bunker, where he had been holed up for over a week, since their Mom had left, but this was sudden and without warning. He got up slowly and followed his brother to go pack a bag, knowing he wasn’t letting him go alone. He sipped on his coffee and glanced into Dean’s bedroom seeing him putting clothes in his pack.

“I’ll be ready in five minutes,” Sam called to him before continuing to his room. He got his duffle and pulled clean clothes from his dresser to pack in the bag. He stopped by the bathroom to grab his small bag before continuing to the map room. He didn’t find Dean there or in the other rooms, so he headed for the garage thinking he was already waiting in the Impala.

Sam put his bag in the back and dropped into the passenger seat of the Impala to glance at his brother as he started the car and pulled out onto the road running by the bunker without speaking. He headed north away from Lebanon, to a small town in Nebraska called, Beatrice.

**spn**

“So, what’s this case we’re checking out?” Sam asked breaking the silence in the car.

“Dead bodies showing up in towns along Interstate 80. Last one in Beatrice, Nebraska.”

“What makes you think it’s a case for us?”

“The hearts were missing, and the locals think it’s animal attacks.”

“You’re thinking werewolf then?”

“Probably; good guess.”

“Do you have a plan? Or do we do our usual thing?”

“Our usual thing has always worked for us before, why change it now?”

“Okay, we let the locals know we’re there and start checking things out. How far is the town?”

“Not far, few hours or so. It’s on this side of 80.”

“We should have time to go by the station and see the bodies before it’s too late then.”

“Probably, the others haven’t been linked by the cops yet since there’re in different counties and states, but the program you set up showed that there could be possible links. So far there have been six deaths that it’s pulled along that route.”

“So, we have a roaming werewolf out there or more than one?”

“No idea. Let’s hope it’s only one.”

Sam went silent as the wheels started turning in his head. When they got a motel room, he was going to try and hack the other police departments to get reports on the killings and see if it looked like the same one. They needed to know what they were dealing with to be prepared. Dean didn’t bother continuing the conversation with him and Sam was okay with that.

**spn**

Beatrice was a quant, small town that merged the old with the new in a unique way. It was early afternoon and the traffic was steady but not heavy yet. The Impala drove slowly down the business section of the town and around to where the police station was located. Since the locals thought the killings were an animal attack, they were going in under the guise of wildlife officials.

Dean found a visitor’s parking spot and eased into it, cutting off the Impala engine and getting out. He walked around the car and waited for Sam to join him before heading for the front door. They stepped inside and to the counter where a deputy sat.

“May I help you?” he asked.

“We’re with the State Wildlife Department and are here about the animal attacks,” Dean told him. “Can we speak with the sheriff about the deaths.”

“I’ll let the sheriff know you’re here,” the deputy replied picking up a phone to call to the back.

Sam motioned to Dean to the chairs behind them and they took a seat to wait. Sam was skimming the wanted posters in a glass case while Dean was doing his best not to make rude noises. A cell buzzed and Dean pulled his from his jacket and looked at the caller ID before sending it to voicemail. Sam was sure it was their Mom calling but didn’t say anything when he saw the stony look on his brother’s face. He knew trying to intervene would only make matters worse and knew they had to work it out between them.

Luckily, they didn’t have to wait long before an older man stepped out of the door behind the counter. They got up and waited for him to join them.

“Sheriff, Rangers Marsh and Wilson, we’re with the State Wildlife Department and were sent here to check these animal attacks,” Dean explained to him.

“Sheriff Stone, rangers. Strange, I never got any paperwork regarding this,” Stone told them.

“It was a last minute assignment, so the paperwork is probably on someone’s desk waiting to be sent,” Sam shrugged. “You know how that is.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. How can I help?”

“Could we get a copy of your police reports and we’ll need to see the bodies,” Dean told him.

“That I can do, can they be emailed to you?”

“Yes,” Sam said. He pulled out a card and scribbled on the back before handing it to the sheriff. “Our number and email and if anything else comes up, please call us.”

“Will do, and the bodies are at the morgue, basement of the hospital. It’s across town on Walker Street. Go right when you exit for two miles and you’ll see the signs for it.”

“Thank you, Sheriff,” Dean said. He shook hands with him, and they headed from the building. They got in the Impala and headed for the hospital to the morgue. Once they saw the bodies, they’d get a motel room and go over everything to see what they had and decide if this was a werewolf attack or not. They both knew that some humans could be just a horrific as the monsters they hunted.

“There,” Sam pointed to the blue H on the sign letting them know they were heading in the right direction. It didn’t take them long to find the four story brick building that was the hospital.

Dean pulled around to the back looking for the rear entrance and found a place to park where the car wouldn’t be towed away. They got out and headed for a side door and checked the signs once inside to find the morgue. Even after all these years, morgues still gave Sam the creeps and he shivered slightly when the temperature dropped drastically once they stepped through the double doors.

They were in a short hall with a door on either side. One said cold storage and the other said exam room. Dean pushed the door open and went in looking around for the coroner. Sam eyed the three stainless steel tables positioned in the middle of the room and was glad there wasn’t a body on any of them. The place was white, bright and spotless and made them both squint as their eyes adjusted to the lightening.

“Can I help you gentleman?” a female voice asked from behind them.

They turned to see an older woman dressed in scrubs and lab coat that emitted an air of authority. Her red hair was pulled up on top of her head and strands framed her face. She had not lost her looks as she aged and you could see the intelligence in her blue eyes.

“Yes ma’am, we were sent from the State Wildlife Department to look into the animal attacks you’ve had lately,” Dean told her giving her a sexy smile, trying to win her over.

“Interesting,” she said looking them over before walking across the room, not bothering to invite them to follow.

Dean fell into step with her and Sam trailed along behind and stopped at the wall with the small doors holding the autopsied bodies. He looked around and found gloves, pulling two pairs out and handing one set to Dean.

“Not much to see or tell, the guys were attacked, their chests were ripped open and hearts removed,” she said opening two doors and pulling the sliding trays from within.

“What type of animal do you think did this?” Sam asked.

“If it was an animal,” she replied. “It’s inclusive right now. Samples have been sent to the state lab, but I have my doubts if they’ll be able to shed any light on what actually did this. And you say you’re with the Wild Life Department?” she asked studying them like she knew they were lying.

“Could we get a copy of your autopsy reports please?” Dean asked politely changing the subject. She seemed smarter than some coroners they had met over the years and he hoped she didn’t challenge them.

“Of course, have a peek; let’s hope you have a strong stomach,” she nodded walking away from the covered bodies to copy the reports.

Sam took one body and Dean the other. He pulled the sheet down to the waist and looked at the grizzly mess that was once a young man’s chest. There was a gaping hole and flesh had been shredded around the site. He gingerly ran a finger over the ragged skin and bent closer to examine what looked like claw marks. Sam took out his cell and snapped photos from different angles when something caught his eyes.

“Dean, do you see something strange with your body?” Sam asked looking over at Dean and the other body.

“Other than the gaping hole in his chest where his heart should be?”

“Funny,” Sam replied sarcastically. “I mean do you see anything _else_ unusual?”

“Ummm…” Dean hummed as he leaned closer and frowned. “You mean a bite mark that looks like a vampire?” he asked quietly so no one else could hear.

“You have one too?”

“Yeah, almost missed it with the damage done here.”

“Doc, when the bodies were found was there a lot of blood?” Sam asked when she came back carrying a folder.

“No, hardly any. Sheriff thinks they were killed somewhere else and then dumped where they were found.”

“And they’ve not found that site where they were actually killed?”

“No and if you want my opinion, no animal would do that,” she said looking knowingly at them. “Here you go.”

“Thanks for your help,” Dean nodded accepting the folder.

“I just hope you catch whatever is doing this before I have another body on my table.”

“We’ll do our best Doc,” Sam assured her. He snapped off his gloves and threw them away before following his brother from the room. Once they were out of hearing range, Sam spoke, “What are we looking at here? A vampire and werewolf tag team?”

“Never heard of those two ever working together. This is a new one on me. It’s getting late, let’s grab some food and get a room. The sheriff should have the police reports emailed to us by now and we can go over what is in them and try to make sense of this case.”

“Hopefully there’s some link to all the victims that we can check out and maybe this will make sense,” Sam sighed settling into the passenger seat.

“We know a vamp would want to feed before the victim is killed, so they get first dibs and then the werewolf would take its turn and tear out the heart…” Dean mumbled more to himself than to Sam. This was a strange one that they’d never run across before. He started the Impala and pulled from the hospital to head toward some motels they had seen coming in. They usually had restaurants nearby within walking distance and would suit their needs.

**spn**

Sam had his laptop opened and was checking the emailed police reports that were sent to him. He scribbled notes on a pad and flipped between the different ones. Dean had the folder from the coroner in front of him and was looking through the reports and the photos of each victim. Sam looked up when Dean’s cell buzzed and wasn’t surprised, he didn’t answer it again. He knew it had to be their Mom calling to talk to him and Dean wasn’t willing to answer the call. Sam knew how stubborn his brother could be and sighed softly to himself knowing it wouldn’t help to get into a fight about it with him.

“You know it looks like both victims were taken during the day. One had gone to the grocery store and never made it back home and the other was coming home from work, stopped at a gas station and disappeared between it and home.”

“Tell me, what would make two healthy, strong men let their guards down and be taken?” Dean asked looking up from his reading.

“Someone needing help, like a defensive female,” Sam noted with a huff. “If our theory is right one of them is a female and probably the other a male.”

“So, the female lures the guys to a spot where they won’t be seen and the other knocks them out,” Dean said holding up a photo. “Coroner found a contusion on the back of both of the victim’s heads. Seems they were knocked out.”

“And taken somewhere, drained and heart ripped out,” Sam snorted angerly. “How are we going to catch them? There’s too many places to stake out.”

“Did you get that map?” Dean asked looking up at his brother.

“Yeah,” Sam said getting up to retrieve a map of the town. He spread it out and turned it toward Dean.

“Give me the addresses where the victims were last seen and where the bodies were found.”

“Sam pulled up the right pages and rattled out the locations, watching as Dean marked them on the map before leaning back at studying it for a moment. His mind was whirling as he problem solved. After a few minutes of silence, Dean leaned back toward the map and placed a finger on a location. “My best guess will be here; I think they’re probably getting ready to leave town and will make one more kill before that to tide them over. The full moon has one more day in the cycle, so it’s today they’ll hit again before leaving.”

“You have a plan?” Sam asked looking to his brother.

“I’m bait and we stake the place out. Which we should head out and get set up before it gets too late or they find another unsuspecting victim.”

“Why are you bait? Why can’t I be bait?” Sam questioned getting up when Dean did.

“You’re too tall and besides, I’m the better looking,” Dean stated smugly.

Sam snorted in disgust giving his brother a bitch face with his remark. He followed him to the car and got in and Dean headed to a store across town near the road that led out to the interstate. Sam was still pouting when Dean pulled into the parking lot and drove through it before parking toward the back and leaving it running as he got out.

“You go find a place to park where you can watch and I’m going to go inside grab a drink or something and mill around inside and come out and walk around. You keep an eye out for anyone suspicious and probably a van of some kind. They’d need to get away with their victim easily.”

“Be careful and don’t take any unnecessary risks,” Sam advised him as he slid across the seat to the driver’s side. “Dean,” he called. “Keep your cell on and hidden. If you do get taken, I can track you.”

“Smart Sammy,” Dean answered. He pulled his cell out and made sure it was on before slipping it into a hidden pocket on his jacket. He went inside and walked around the store, going to the bathroom and coming out taking his time to study the selections as he gave the customers a once over. He didn’t think anyone inside was their monster and grabbed a soda and chips. After paying, he headed outside and walked to a bench at the side of the building to sit and eat his snack. He saw the Impala parked near the back in the shade of a tree but couldn’t make out his brother inside.

Dean was sipping the last of the soda wondering if he was wrong about the location when his spidery senses went off. He knew they were here and looked toward the parking lot when a cute, brown haired, young woman started walking toward the entrance but paused and changed her direction when she saw him sitting alone.

“Heads up Sammy, got company,” Dean muttered as he got up to throw away his trash and ignoring the woman.

“Excuse me,” she said politely.

“Hey,” Dean said.

“I was wondering if you could help me? Seems like I’ve got a flat tire and I can’t get the lug nuts off to change it,” she explained sounded helpless and needy. She flirted just enough to encourage a guy to help.

“Sure, no problem. Where are you parked?” he asked giving her a fake smile.

“It’s over there toward the back. Guess I was lucky to park there. Makes it easier to change a tire with no cars beside you.” She started to walk away slowly, waiting to be sure Dean was going to follow her.

He wiped his hands on a napkin and tossed it in the trash, before strolling along beside her. “You do have a spare, right?”

“Yes, thank goodness.”

“It’s probably a doughnut, so you’ll need to take your car to a garage and have them fix the flat and put it back on.”

“Are you a mechanic? You seem knowledgeable about these things.”

“I know my way around a car,” Dean shrugged. He let his eyes wander to the Impala and saw Sam had slid down in the seat and was watching them walk away from the other cars to the very back of the lot.

“Here it is,” she told him stopping at a silver Nissan.

“Which tire is it?” Dean asked leaning over slightly to look at the two tires on this side of the car. Before he could raise up, everything went black when he was hit in the head with a slapjack. She slipped zip ties over his wrist and tied his hands behind his back.

A tan van pulled up beside the car and the side door opened. Dean was quickly tossed inside, and the female got in and it drove away. They never noticed the black car that followed them out of the back entrance and kept pace with them. The van drove for twenty minutes to a remote, wooded area where a lake could be seen nearby and parked. The driver and woman got out.

“This should do,” the man said. “We need to do this quick and move on before any suspicions are aroused.”

“It’s all good. No one is going to peg us for killers,” she laughed. “I’ll drain him, and you can take his heart for later. Did you get ice?”

“Yeah, it’d be more fun to wait a little longer though, the moon is supposed to be up early tonight, and I can have a warm meal.”

“I guess we can, I mean there’s no reason to rush it or anything. I don’t think he’ll be missed for a while yet.” She moved to the back of the van and opened the door to pull out two folding chairs. She looked over the seat and saw Dean still unconscious on the floor. “Why don’t we relax a bit, he’s not going anywhere.” They set up their chairs and looked out over the lake to wait for sunset and the rising of the moon.

**spn**

Sam parked the Impala and got out hurrying to the back for a machete and made sure he had silver bullets in his gun. He could just make out the van, stopped further up the road by a lake. Moving quietly, he worked his way through the trees hoping the vampire wasn’t feeding yet. He was careful to not be seen by the two and was surprised to see them sitting in folding chairs looking out at the lake. They weren’t acting like typical monsters, but things had changed over the years and monsters along with it.

He stopped and positioned himself where he could see them and the side of the van to wait. If Dean was knocked out, he didn’t want to face the pair alone and get taken down too. He would wait and when they decided to attack Dean, he hoped he would be awake and could fight. He could hear them talking and was shocked when the female mentioned something about some new hunters with British accents. She was complaining how her nest was slaughtered and she was the only one that got away. She wanted to see all hunters dead for killing her family and was going to get revenge for them. The man spoke softly, and Sam couldn’t hear his reply as he tried to sooth her rage. He heard her thank the guy for helping her and that they made a good team.

“Guess we better check on him. He should be coming around by now,” she said getting up and going to the van. She opened the van door and was suddenly propelled backwards as Dean kicked out hard with his feet catching her in the stomach.

Dean had come to and was just trying to get out of his bindings when he heard someone at the van door. He rolled and positioned himself to deliver a surprise to whoever opened the door. With his legs drawn up toward his chest, Dean made ready to send the person flying backwards and hoped Sam was nearby and could back him up until he got loose. They hadn’t checked him before tossing him in the van and he still had his gun in the small of his back. He figured the other victims were harmless and they thought he was too. As soon as the door was open and a body stood in the opening, Dean lashed out with both legs sending the woman flying backwards out of the way.

“Sally!” the guy cried out jumping from the chair and growling angrily. He started to advance toward Dean who was working on sitting up and get out the van’s open door.

Sam choice this moment to run from the woods and fired two shots at the guy as he started to turn making him jerk and wail in pain before dropping to the ground.

“No! No!” the female screamed as she scrambled to her feet to face Sam. Her fangs dropped and she hissed at him. Rage was filling her, and she launched herself at Sam before he could bring up his machete to attack. They rolled on the ground and he lost his weapon and was using an arm to hold her gnashing mouth away from his neck.

Neither saw Dean getting a knife from his back pocket to cut his ties and get free. He spotted the machete and grabbed it just as the vampire bit into Sam’s arm making him cry out in pain as her fangs dug into his arm.

Dean hurried to them and with a strong, swift swing took her head off, watching it roll away. Her body dropped on Sam, blood splattering down the front of his jacket and shirt and onto his face.

“You okay?” Dean asked kicking the body away. “You didn’t get any in your mouth, did you?”

“No, I turned my head away when I saw you getting ready to swing,” Sam grunted as he let Dean help him up. “I did get it down the side of my neck and in my hair,” he grimaced wiping his jacket sleeve across his mouth to be sure none was there.

“I almost hated to kill them before finding out why they hooked up,” Dean sighed looking at the two bodies.

“Maybe it had something to do with the British Men of Letters,” Sam replied. “I heard the vamp talking about her nest getting wiped out and she was the only one survived. Somehow they found each other and decided to team up.”

“It’s a first and I hope a last as far as I’m concerned. Teaming up like that is just double trouble for us. Guess we need to hide the bodies and move the van somewhere else.”

“Let’s do it. I want to get back to the motel so I can shower. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a bump on the head, I’ll live,” he sluffed off. “How’s the arm where she bit you?”

“I’ll live. The jacket stopped the worse of it.”

“Grab the legs and let’s get them out of sight.”

Dean picked up the head of the vampire and laid it on her stomach and waited for Sam to get the legs as he got her arms. They moved the body deeper into the wood and went back for the werewolf. Once they had them covered with branches and leaves, Dean threw the chairs into the van and got in. They were going to drive it to some parking lot and leave it before heading back to the motel. The room was paid for so they would head out early in the morning and go back to the bunker. This was a hunt both would document in their journals, wondering if there might be other monsters out there that might start working together.

**The End**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Two more letters left, and we will be ending this journey, but I have another story ready to go that I hope you will enjoy. Thank you to all who have taken the time to read this array of creatures I have put together. You guys are the best. I do enjoy comments. If you can please leave one. It would help make my day brighter. NC**

* * *

**X**

The bunker was quiet as Sam made his was down the hall and up the steps to the library. He faltered slightly when he saw Castiel sitting at a table with several books around him reading. They were the only ones in the bunker now since Dean had left once Gadreel had been forced to leave Sam’s body. He had taken it hard when Kevin had been killed by Gadreel while possessing Sam’s body. Sam had been enraged to find out what he had done and made no attempt at stopping Dean from leaving. He was afraid this might have been the last straw that broke them for good this time.

“Hey Cas,” Sam said moving on toward the kitchen. His voice was dull and had no emotions as Sam fought to keep everything buried in his mind.

“Hello Sam, I made coffee,” Castiel replied looking up at the hunter and studying him. He had been slowly healing what was left to do inside of him once Gadreel had been expelled.

“Thanks.” Sam grabbed a cup and poured the coffee. He added cream and sugar before coming back to join Castiel at the table. He felt uncomfortable not saying anything and asked, “What are you reading?”

“I found some old tomes on angels and was curious to see what it said,” Castiel replied. “They really didn’t know very much about my kind. How are you feeling today?”

“Better, I guess.”

“Would you like me to continue the healing process. I think only a few more times and you will be done.”

“Sure Cas, might as well get it over with.” Sam sat his cup down and waited as Castiel got up to stand behind him. He could feel his hands carefully wrapping around his head and felt the tingle of grace run through his body for a moment before ebbing away. He knew Castiel could only do a little at a time with his limited powers and was grateful for it. The grace seemed to add a small amount of energy to his body and he was almost feeling like himself again.

“Have you heard from Dean?” Castiel asked and felt Sam’s body stiffen and could feel the tension building inside of him before he took his hands away. He could tell this was a raw wound that had not healed.

“No,” Sam stated flatly. His feelings were still all over the place when it came to his brother and what he had done.

“Should I try to call him?” Castiel asked innocently. “It has been a week since he left, and I have not heard from him. Are you not worried?”

“Dean’s an adult and can take care of himself. He doesn’t need checking on. He made his choice…” Sam picked up his cup and got up from the table to leave, pausing when Castiel spoke again.

“Dean thought he was helping you, Sam. He didn’t want to see you die,” Castiel spoke softly. He sighed when Sam didn’t reply and walked back toward the bedrooms. He knew a rift had been created between the brothers and wondered if it could be repaired. He took his seat and began to read again wanting to be here for Sam and hoped Dean would come back soon.

**spn**

Sam headed back down the hall, only pausing for a moment outside Dean’s bedroom door and then headed down and around the corner to his own. He couldn’t help the feelings raging inside of him and didn’t know if he could ever forgive Dean for what he did. Sam settled on his bed with his laptop to check if there were any hunts nearby. He wanted to do something to get his mind off his brother and what he, himself, had done to Kevin when he was possessed by Gadreel. Even if it wasn’t him actually killing Kevin, it was still his hands that had done it.

After letting the laptop boot up, Sam went to the search engines he used to look for possible cases and began to scroll through them seeing if anything looked promising or interesting. He did that for nearly an hour and switched to his emails to see if anything needed addressing. He answered a few of them and cleaned out his inbox before sitting back to sip his coffee and grimacing when he found it cold. Sam knew he should go get something to eat when his stomach rumbled. He ignored it and brought up another search engine to look at before leaving his bedroom.

An article caught his eye and he pulled it up to read. After looking at a couple of other articles on the same topic, and seeing that the town was close by, decided to go check it out. He got up to pack his bag and was going to grab something to eat on the way out.

“Where are you going Sam?” Castiel asked when he saw the bag Sam sat on the table when he came back into the library.

“I’m going to check out a possible case,” Sam told him going to the kitchen and looking in the fridge for a yogurt and grabbing an apple to tide him over.

“Alone? You can’t do that. It is not safe to hunt alone, how many times have Dean and you told me that?” Castiel stated looking concerned that Sam would want to hunt alone. “I am going with you.”

“Really Cas, I’m fine. It’s not far from here and doesn’t sound bad.”

“Dean would want me to go with you Sam. He’d want to be sure you had backup.”

Sam stiffened and a dark look came over his face, but he didn’t say anything when Castiel got up to follow him to the garage.

“I can drive if you like,” Castiel suggested. He wanted to help however he could, and this seemed like a good choice.

“Sure, why not,” Sam huffed knowing it wouldn’t do any good to argue with Castiel. He switched directions and followed Castiel outside to his tank of a car and waited for him to unlock it so he could get into the passenger seat. He put his bags over the seat into the back and settled in the seat, thinking how different it felt than the Impala.

“Where are we going?” Castiel asked cranking the car and looking at Sam for directions.

“Kirwin, Kansas. It’s west of here maybe an of hour at most. Take Highway 36 west to Highway 283 south.”

“Alright.”

“We’ll be on the far side of Kirwin Lake and will need to head back east to the town,” Sam told him. He sat back and watched the scenery go by knowing it didn’t feel the same, but he didn’t say anything. He had to put those feelings in a box and lock it. Sam had to put his focus on this possible case and not worry about his brother. He had chosen his own path and that was on him. Sam was tired of everyone else making major decisions for him. He got lost in his mind and didn’t hear Castiel speak to him.

When Sam didn’t answer him, Castiel didn’t try asking again and looked over at him seeing a glazed look in his eyes. He knew Sam was hurting and could feel his anguish but didn’t know how to help him. He had tried calling Dean when Sam was showering or sleeping but had not gotten a response from him. This worried him because Dean was not in a good place when he left and if anything happened to him…He knew Sam would never forgive himself, no matter how angry he was at Dean. He remained quiet and concentrated on the road following Sam’s directions toward Kirwin. He was glad it was nearby in case Sam had any problems and needed to return to the bunker.

**spn**

“I guess we can see about finding the witnesses first since it is still early,” Sam said breaking the silence now that they had found the town. It was late afternoon and he hoped to find the witnesses today and work on figuring out what they were up against this evening. With any luck maybe this case wouldn’t take but a couple of days to finish.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Castiel asked.

“Not sure, that’s why we need to talk to the witnesses. Several people have claimed there’s a ghost haunting a construction site outside of town. There’s been some accidents at the site, but at least no one was killed. It’s got the workers scared off and there’s rumors flying around the town. At first, I thought maybe a Woman in White, but I won’t know until I gather some additional information.”

“Would you like me to go see what I can find out at the construction site?”

“No, it’s probably better if we stay together Cas,” Sam told him thinking it would be better if he kept him close. Castiel would think he was doing the right thing but didn’t have a clue sometimes. “Why don’t we start at the diner. I have the names of the witnesses and we can see if anyone knows them.”

“What are we pretending to be?”

“Well, there’s no deaths, so, FBI wouldn’t be a good choice. Maybe insurance adjusters would work. I’m sure there’ll file claims with the accidents.”

“What should I do?”

“Just back me up, I’ll do the talking,” Sam said. “That looks like a good place to start.” He pointed to a diner that had a parking lot almost full and waited for Castiel to pull in and park. He got out and headed for the door with the angel falling in beside him. They went inside and Sam led them to the bar taking a stool and picking up a menu.

“You need to order something Cas, so you’ll not standout,” Sam whispered to him pushing a menu toward him.

“Alright, food doesn’t taste as good as when I was human, but I kind of miss it,” he replied looking at the laminated page. “They have extra bacon as a side; Dean would like this place.”

Sam pinched his lips together and clenched his jaw so he wouldn’t say anything. He didn’t want to talk about his brother and his eating preferences. He didn’t want to talk about his brother, period, so he ignored Castiel’s remark.

“Good morning, what can I get you?” a waitress asked stopping at them.

“I’ll have a turkey club on wheat and bowl of fresh fruit,” Sam ordered. “And sweet tea to drink.”

“And for you sir?”

“I’ll the blue plate special with tea. And could I get extra bacon please,” Castiel ordered.

“Coming right up, I’ll get this in and get your teas.” She scribbled on her pad and turned to put it on the turnstile before going to get the teas.

“Holly, do you know Terry Miller or Jordan Ramsey?” Sam asked the waitress when she came back with their drinks.

“Maybe, why do you want to know?”

“I’m with an insurance company and was sent to check out the accidents at Keeper Construction,” Sam lied like the pro he was.

“Oh, sure, you’ll probably find them over at the Keeper main office. It’s on the corner of 5th and Dover a few streets over.”

“Thank you, we’ll head over there once we’ve eaten,” Sam nodded his thanks. He pulled out a pad and wrote down the address for later.

Their food arrived and Sam began to eat his sandwich thinking it was better than he expected. After a few bites he glanced over at Castiel and watched him. He would cut off a bite, spear it with the fork and examine it like he was looking for something before putting it in his mouth and chewing it up. He did this several times and was attracting the attention of some of the other patrons and the waitress.

“Something wrong with the food hon?” she asked him.

“No, it is good. I’m just tasted the molecular content of the piece,” Castiel replied making Sam almost choke on his bite of sandwich. “Are you alright Sam?”

“Let me know if you need anything else,” the waitress answered giving Castiel a confused look.

After he cleared his throat, Sam mumbled to him. “Cas, just eat the food, don’t examine it.” He had forgotten how the angel could be at times with human behavior.

Castiel paused and looked at the others at the diner and saw they were watching him. He bowed his head and began to eat a little faster, not liking the attention he was getting.

“Eat normal,” Sam hissed when he saw he was going way to fast now. “You can slow it down. People will think something is wrong with you.”

“This human trait is a bit confusing. I will work on it.”

Sam gave the waitress a signal and pushed his glass forward requesting a refill and after Castiel saw him do that he also did the same. He tried to match his bites with Sam’s and the ones that had been staring ignored him and went back to eating. When they were finished, Sam requested the bill and paid, and they headed out to the Castiel’s car. Sam looked up the address on his cell and gave him directions on how to get to the construction company’s office.

**spn**

The office was in a clap board building, sitting on the corner of the two streets. Castiel had to drive down the block and come back to find a parking spot for large car. They got out and Sam took the lead as they walked toward the office door and went in. There was a receptionist desk at the front and several desks behind her and what looked like some offices at the back.

“Hello, may I help you?” an older woman asked as they stopped at her desk.

“Yes, we’d like to speak with Terry Miller and Jordan Ramsey about what they witnessed at the construction site. I’m from the home office of the insurance company and need to get their statements,” Sam told her, smiling and acting the part.

“Terry and Jordan are both at another construction site working at the moment.”

“What address would that be?”

“1456 Waterway Drive. If you take a right from here and go to the next light take a left and drive four miles and take a right onto Waterway Drive. They’re working on a small stripe mall on that side of town. You can’t miss it.”

“Thank you,” Sam told her turning to head back out the door and back to the car. “Did you get the directions?”

“Of course, I am a celestial being Sam,” Castiel said.

“Right, my mistake.” He went around the car and got in and waited for Castiel to get in and merge back into traffic to head to the other construction site. The drive took about twenty minutes with the slow traffic around town. Sam pointed to a place to park as they pulled into the lot.

“Why don’t you wait here, and I’ll go see if I can find the two guys,” Sam told him thinking it would be easier for him to do it alone.

“If you like,” Castiel replied. He leaned against the car and watched Sam walk toward several people with hard hats on and speak with them. He could hear him asking about Terry Miller and Jordan Ramsey and then one of the men walked toward the building to call to the workers. Two guys stopped their jobs and walked over to Sam. Sam led them over where Castiel was standing and he straightened up when the three walked over.

“Terry, Jordan, we’re with the insurance company covering the accident claims that were filed and wanted to get statements from both of you,” Sam explained pulling a pad out to take notes. “Either of you can go first.”

“I was working at the construction site out by the lake I guess a little over a week ago when there was an accident, and one of the workers was injured. He had to be taken to the hospital. That wasn’t the first accident either but was the first where someone was hurt,” Terry said. “It was like he just went nuts and after they got him to the hospital, he didn’t remember anything about what happened.”

“What else has happened?” Sam asked.

“We’ve had equipment sabotaged or destroyed. Things have gone missing and no one has been able to find who’s doing it. Everyone thought it was some environment group doing it to stop the draining of the lake.”

“Yeah,” Jordan added. “They even put up security cameras, but during the night the feed was disrupted and quit recording. I came in early one morning and I heard someone singing out near the lake. I swear it was the sweetest sounding voice I have ever heard. It made me feel so relaxed and peaceful. It was like I was in a trance or something. I swear she sounded like an angel.”

“Yes, the Heavenly choir is made up of some excellent singers,” Castiel noted.

Sam gave him a bitch face and kicked him in the foot, giving his head a brief shake not to continue talking. At least neither of the guys seemed to pick up on his remark.

“So, you saw this girl?” Sam asked prompting him to continue.

“I doubt you’ll believe me, no one else did,” Jordan huffed.

“I might be a little more open minded about things; tell me what you saw,” Sam encouraged.

“She was beautiful with golden, flowing, wavy hair that hung down her back. She was small, probably five, three or four and she had on this long, blue, silk dress with puffy sleeves. What struck me as odd, she was barefooted. I called to her, but she started walking toward the lake. I followed her and, well, she disappeared into the lake. Not like she was swimming either, she just sunk into it and was gone.”

Sam looked at Castiel with a knowing look when Jordan stopped talking.

“Guess you think I’m crazy too,” he sighed.

“No, I don’t. I think you saw something. Did anyone else see the girl?”

“No, she was gone by the time anyone else got there. We couldn’t work that day because our equipment was messed up.”

“Is there anything else either of you remember?” Sam asked.

“No, not me. There’s something really weird going on out there is all I can say,” Terry stated.

“I think that’s it,” Jordan agreed.

“Look, if either of you remember anything else, call me,” Sam told them giving both business cards.

“Sure.”

“Okay.”

The guys went back to their jobs and Sam and Castiel stood at the car watching them leave.

“What do you think Sam? Is it a spirit?”

“I think so, but not the usual spirits we deal with. I think this is something different. Let’s go get a motel room so I can do some research and we’ll head out to the site in the morning.”

“As you wish. There were motels we passed on the way here, will one of them suffice?”

“We want one that’s clean and cheap. There was one where we came into town that looked nice. I think it was called Rambling Rose Motel.”

“I do remember seeing it. We shall go there then,” Castiel stated getting in the car and waited for Sam to join him. He cranked the car and pulled from the lot to head back toward the main road. The traffic was picking up as it got closer to quitting time for most of the work force. Castiel stopped at the office and let Sam go in to get a room for them. When he came back out, he followed him around the building and parked in front of the room Sam unlocked.

“Let me get my bags and I’ll see what I can find online with what Jordan told us,” Sam said. He opened the back door and reached in to snag his bags. Sam stepped into the room, looked at the two beds uncertain which one to take. Dean had made sure he took the bed away from the door when they were together but now, he could choose which one he wanted. Shaking himself slightly, he sat his bag on the first bed and took his computer bag to the table and took a seat.

“Is there anything I can do?” Castiel asked.

Sam looked up at him and the willing look on his face before answering, “Yeah, wanna go get me maybe a green tea at the convenience store just down the street?” He stood and pulled a couple of bills from his pocket. “That should cover it and get you something if you want it.”

“I can do that. I’ll be back shortly.” Castiel took the money and headed out the door to run the errand.

**spn**

Sam booted up his laptop and pulled up a program he had set up to help search for the monsters that they hunted. He began to type in the information he knew and set it to run before leaning back to wait. He decided to get a shower while it compiled and got up to dig some sleep clothes and his bathroom bag from his duffle. Sam stepped into the bathroom and closed the door thinking how different it was to hunt with Castiel than his brother. He was the leader and the decision maker this time. He contemplated hunting without Dean and pushed those thoughts away before turning to start the water. Sam stripped out of his clothes and adjusted the temperature before stepping under the spray, letting it wet his face for a moment. He turned and let it beat on his neck and shoulders before shampooing his hair and soaping down and rinsing.

“I got you green teas,” Castiel said when he stepped from the bathroom towel drying his hair making Sam jump slightly.

“Thanks Cas,” Sam replied seeing them sitting on the table. He heard his laptop chime and stepped to the table and sat down in front of it. He started scrolling through the information it had compiled searching for the most logical monster. He read through the list twice before picking one. “I think I know what we’re hunting.”

“What?” Cas asked sitting at the table with him.

“I think it’s a Xana. That’s a female water spirit. She is small or slender with long blonde curly hair. Her voice is hypnotic and can be heard in the spring and summer. It says those with a pure soul that hear her songs are filled with a sense of peace and love. Those that are not pure, feel they are being suffocated or driven insane.”

“I don’t think I’ve dealt with a water spirit before. Are we going to kill it?”

“Not if I can figure out another way, but so far it doesn’t say anything about how to do that anyway. I really don’t think it means harm. I’ll see if I can find anything else about a Xana before I turn in. You can take one of the beds if you like,” he offered. “The remote is on the nightstand if you want to watch television while I work.”

“Thank you Sam.” Castiel moved to the bed and found the remote. He settled against the headboard and turned on the television. After looking at several channels, he settled on nature program, but his eyes kept drifting back to the hunter. Sadness filled his eyes because he knew the brothers worked and functioned better when they were together and not apart. He tried calling Dean several times but didn’t get an answer, nor did he return his messages. His heart was heavy, but he knew there would be no forcing the issue since both brothers were stubborn and hardheaded. All he could do was watch over Sam and keep him safe like he knew Dean would want.

**spn**

“The construction site should be up ahead,” Sam instructed, looking at his directions one more time.

“Did you find anything else out last night?” Castiel asked. He didn’t question him when he came to bed and Sam was quiet this morning too.

“They are going to drain part of the lake to build a housing development out here. This area has never been disturbed before, so I guess the water spirit had no reason to bother anyone. She’s trying to protect her home and I can’t fault her for that.”

“What are you going to do Sam?”

“I honestly don’t know. Try talking to her, see if something can be worked out maybe. I’m not sure.”

“We could call Dean and see what he thinks about it,” Castiel suggested but felt Sam’s anger at the mention of his brother’s name.

“I don’t need him,” he said through clenched teeth. “I can do this myself.”

“Very well,” he whispered, dropping the subject. He drove around a curve and slowed when the site came into view. Castiel pulled over to the side and parked.

Sam got out and looked around trying to decide his next move. He walked over the bulldozed ground, looking at the clearing of the land that had been done. It was horrible. He moved to the tree line and could see the lake nearby. Without hesitation, Sam chose a path between the trees and walked down to the shoreline to look out over the crystal, clear, water. Small waves lapped at the bank and a slight breeze blew across it causing ripples that expanded outward. It was almost like looking at another world as the reflection of the trees and surrounding area gave him pause.

A soft voice reached his ears and he looked along the shoreline searching for the source. A warmth seemed to radiate through his body as the voice drew him closer. He could hear soft singing not far away. Sam walked down to an outcrop of large rocks and saw her sitting at the waters edge brushing her long, flowing hair. He was mesmerized by her beauty and heavenly voice.

Peace and contentment filled his mind and all the worries of the world seemed to wash away, leaving him wrapped in a blanket of tranquility and quiet. He had never felt this way before and was not in control of himself. With halting steps Sam moved to sit beside the Xana and stare lovingly at her.

“Sam?” Castiel questioned when he caught up to him and saw the young woman he was looking at. He listened to her sing, but it didn’t have the same affect on him as Sam. “Sam can you hear me?” When he didn’t answer or acknowledge his presence, Castiel moved closer to the Xana as his angel blade dropped into his hand. “Let him go,” he growled at her.

“I mean him no harm,” she whispered in a voice that sounded like music notes in the wind. “Thee do not feel my effects.”

“No. I am an angel. Will you release him?” he asked.

“I do not hold him. He has opened his mind to my song and is at peace at last.”

“Why are you causing trouble here?”

“They wreck my home, pollute the water, destroy the land. They are bad and must be stopped and punished,” she stated, her voice growing harsh by the end making Sam wince with pain.

Castiel thought quickly about what he could do to stop her. He had no desire to kill her since she was only doing what she thought was right. And he wasn’t sure how it would affect Sam. He had to come up with a plan and fast.

“What if I can find you another home, away from any that would want to destroy it? Would you be willing to go?”

The Xana studied the angel with huge blue eyes, delving into his very essence to see he was telling her the truth.

“If it pleases me, I would consider it.”

“I will search and come for you. Will you let him go now?”

After giving Sam another glance, she ran a finger across his cheek before stepping into the water and disappearing.

“Sam, can you hear me?” Castiel asked clasping Sam’s shoulder and shaking him slightly.

Sam blinked hard several times and raised a trembling hand to his face feeling a wetness on his cheek and frowned. He wasn’t sure what just happened but the peace he had felt was like nothing he had ever experienced. As he came back, he was sorry to feel it slipping away and wondered if he would ever feel like that again.

“What happened Cas?” Sam asked.

“She was here, and you fell under her spell.”

“Where is she now?” he asked looking around and out across the water. He almost had this unstoppable urge to dive into the water after her, but Castiel had a firm grip on his shoulder.

“Gone. I made a deal with her. I will find her another place to live where she won’t be disturbed by humans. She has agreed to go there with me.”

“Why were you not affected?”

“I think being an angel I didn’t feel what you did. You have a soul, I do not. Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Sam mumbled as he stared out across the lake trying to push away the longing, he had to see her again and to feel that warmth, unbridled joy, and unconditional acceptance. She didn’t look at and weigh his past mistakes against him. He was truly accepted as he was, broken and shattered.

“I think I know a place that she will be safe and not bothered by any humans, but it is several days away.”

“Can she be out of the water that long?”

“I don’t know. We should go back to the motel, pack and come back here and see if she will come back.”

“Yeah, probably good idea. How close can we get to this place you know about Cas by vehicle?”

“Not close, you have to hike to it. If I had my wings, I could fly us there, but unfortunately I can’t.”

“That’s okay Cas, we’ll figure something out.” Sam stopped at the car and looked back toward the lake for a moment before getting in and letting Castiel take them back to town and the motel.

**spn**

Sam didn’t waste time and packed his things, checking to be sure he didn’t miss anything before heading out the door to Castiel’s car. He dropped them in the backseat and stood there for a moment as an idea began to form in his mind.

“Castiel, we need to find a hardware store,” Sam said with confidence.

“Have you come up with a plan?”

“I think so, if she will agree to it. Do you think she can manipulate the weight of water? Maybe change its molecular structure?” He pulled his cell out and looked up the nearest store that might have what he needed. “There’s one that’s not that much out of the way. We will stop there first before going back to the site. Go to the next light and take a left. Go to the end of the street and left again and it’ll be off to the right. There’s actually a couple of places out that way that might have what I’m looking for it this one doesn’t.”

“Alright.” Castiel pulled from the motel parking lot and went to the light and stopped waiting for it to turn green. “I don’t know about her abilities, but you said she was a water spirit, so I would think she might be able to do what you want.” He followed Sam’s instructions to the store and found a place to park. He got out and waited for Sam to look at the back seat, measuring it with his hands and wondering what he was doing. When he was done, he followed him into the store and waited as he talked to a clerk and nodded when he pointed to the back of the store.

Sam looked around as he walked toward the back of the store. He rounded a shelf and stopped to look at water tanks stacked on the shelves down the aisle. He walked slowly down it looking at the sizes and measuring until he found one that he thought would work.

“Cas, go grab a dolly so we can get one of these.” He was happy to see it had places to slid in poles so two people could carry it. He knew a gallon of water weighted just over eight pounds and did the calculations in his head. Sam hoped the Xana could make the water lighter to make it easier to carry for them. He was going to get the largest one that would fit in the back of Castiel’s car and hoped for the best. Even if they could only fill it halfway up, it was better than nothing.

He also was going to have Castiel stop at another store nearby and grab a backpack, Gatorade, power bars, emergency blanket, matches, bug spray, sunglasses and a hat. He had a machete, guns and ammo already, so he was good with being armed, plus, he had an angel by his side. If they were going to have to hike up a mountain, he wanted some supplies in case they had to spend the night.

Castiel came back pushing a dolly and helped Sam load a large plastic water container onto it. Sam went by piping and found some heavy plastic pipes that would fit the loops and would hold the weight. He grabbed a couple pairs of work gloves and two buckets before heading to the front to check out. Sam talked to the cashier to be sure if the container didn’t fit, he could bring it back and swap for a smaller one.

Sam put what he could in the trunk and with Castiel’s help squeezed the container into the back seat. For once, he was glad Castiel had a huge car. Once everything was in place, they got in the car and Sam had the angel stop at a Wal-Mart down the street where he ran in and got the other items, he wanted to take with him. When he was sure he was ready, they headed back to the site to see if the Xana would come back and agree to their plan.

**spn**

“Cas you need to get as close to the lake as you can, so we don’t have to carry the water so far,” Sam instructed him as they neared the location.

“There is a place that will allow me to pull down to it. So, what is the plan?”

“We rinse the container out and fill it with lake water. I’m hoping the Xana can materialize in the tank with water from the lake. That way we can take her to this new location and set her free.”

“If she will cooperate this just might work.”

“Help me get it out so we can rinse it out first to be sure there’s no contaminants.”

They pulled the tank out and took it to the edge of the lake. Sam used the buckets he bought and with Castiel’s help put enough in the tank to swish back and forth and dump out before filling it half full and stopping.

“Cas, do you think you can call to her? See if she will come.”

“I can try,” Castiel stated. He went to kneel by the water and placed his hand on top of it, barely touching the surface. He released his grace and let it spread through the water and waited. It wasn’t long before a shape started to rise from the water in front of him and he pulled back and stood.

The Xana stepped to the shore and looked at him and over to Sam who gazed at her with awe. Her silky, long hair glistened in the sun’s rays and her pale, blue eyes took in her surroundings.

“Thank you for coming Xana. Sam has a plan that I hope you will consider and let us help you,” Castiel told her.

She looked at Sam with interest and then at the container.

“If we fill this with water, will you be able to survive until we can get you some place else?” Sam asked finally finding his voice and speaking. “Can you manipulate the density of the water to make lighter?”

She looked once again at the tank and moved to it looking at the water inside. With a nod of her head, the Xana put her hand into the tank to touch the water and let her body blend with the liquid and let herself be absorbed into the water. Sam began to fill buckets and dump more water into it until it was almost full. He placed the lid on the tank so it wouldn’t slosh out and stood back.

“Okay Cas, let’s see if we can get it back in the car.” Sam got the poles and slipped them in place before moving to one end. He made ready to pick it up and looked back at Castiel. “On three lift. One, two, three.”

They lifted the container and was surprised at how easily they could pick it up. It seemed to weight half of what it should, and they had no problem getting it into the back of the car. Once it was secure, they got in the car and headed out to go west to a place where humans rarely ventured and the Xana would be safe and have a place to live in peace.

**spn**

Sam was sweating and breathing hard as they made their way up the last hill and through the trees to a secluded mesa away from humans. Even thought the water wasn’t as heavy as it should be, he was glad to see the end was in sight.

“It is just up here Sam; can you make it?” Castiel asked when he heard Sam wheezing in front of him. He had taken the back thinking it would be the heaviest and gave Sam directions on where to go.

“Yeah Cas,” Sam gasped as he almost lost his footing and the tank wobbled between them. Once Sam was steady again, he carefully dug his foot in and pushed upwards until he finally broke through the trees and stepped out into a clearing. He had to stop and just stare at the beauty of the place. There was a waterfall that fell into a pool of water that trailed off back into the trees and disappeared. “Wow Cas, how did you find this place?”

“I had time on my hands and explored a long time ago. Shall we let the Xana see her new home?”

“Yes,” Sam said moving to the deep pool of water and sitting the tank down. He opened the side drain and let the water pour into the pool and mingle with what was already there.

They watched and waited as a shape slowly began to take shape and step from the water. She took form and slowly looked around at her new home and smiled to them and with a nod she spread her arms and began to sing, letting the wind carry it away into the air.

Sam closed his eyes and leaned his head back as he smiled and let her song carry him away to a better place for a few moments. His body tingled with small ripples of energy until she stopped singing and looked back at them before disappearing into the water by the falls.

“Shall we rest for a bit and then start back?” Castiel asked when he saw Sam was back with him.

“Yeah, I need a break, and this is the perfect place to do it.” He moved to a mossy spot and pulled off his pack before sitting down. Sam dug around in the pack and pulled out Gatorade and a power bar. “Cas, you want a drink?”

“Sure,” he said wanting to enjoy this time with Sam. He could feel how calm and tranquil he seemed. Castiel accepted the bottle and opened it taking a sip and looking at the label to see what flavor he had.

“Thanks for the help Cas. This turned out better than I expected and this place…You couldn’t have found a better one for her. I think she will be happy here and can live in peace.”

“I agree Sam. She will be safe and happy here.”

They looked out across the clearing and just enjoyed the quietness of their surroundings before heading back down the mountain to the car. They would drive back to the bunker and Castiel hoped maybe Dean might be there waiting on them, but he didn’t express his thoughts thinking Sam might not agree with him.

**The End**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: One more letter to go, Z, and it will be in two parts. Can’t believe this journey is almost to the end. It has been on great ride and I hope I have been able to entertain you with these one-shot hunts. This one is a little different than the previous. I hope you like the pairing. You know comments make my day. Stay safe. NC**

* * *

**Y**

The salvage yard was quit as darkness descended across the land. The wrecked vehicles looked like the skeleton remains of a long forgotten time. Bobby Singer was in the kitchen opening a can of beef stew for his dinner while planning the following day’s agenda. He had a couple of cars to work on and some research to do for a hunter. His mind drifted to two skinny kids that got dumped on him all those years ago and how they wormed their way into his heart. He stirred the pot of stew and was about to take it up when a loud knocking sounded at his front door. He turned off the burner and slid the pot to the side wondering who was calling this late.

Bobby headed into the living room toward the door, picking up a loaded gun along the way. He opened the front door as the person was about to knock again. They stood there starting at each other for a few moments before Bobby huffed a breath and lowered the gun, waving the hunter inside.

“Hello Bobby,” John Winchester mumbled knowing how he felt toward him.

“John,” Bobby replied. “Got coffee in the kitchen if’n ya’d care for a cup.”

“Thanks that’d be nice.” He followed him to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee before sitting at the table as Bobby dished out his stew.

“You hungry?”

“No, thanks, already ate.”

Not much on small talk, Bobby got to the point.

“What brings you around these parts?”

“Need to use some of your books if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, help yourself. Where’s Dean?”

John had the decency to look down at his coffee cup before answering, “I’m not sure; last I heard he was working a hunt in Texas.”

“And you’re letting him hunt alone because….”

“He’s twenty-four and a grown man. It’s not like I can make him do anything he don’t want to,” John said trying to defend himself. They had had a falling out not long after his youngest announced he was going to college. He had a big fight with him about it and there were things said that shouldn’t have been, so now they were apart.

“How about Sam? He still doing okay in college?”

“I swung by last month and watched him. He was with some friends and seemed okay. While he was in class, I snuck into his dorm room and put down some wardings for protection.”

“I swear Winchester, you’re the stubbornness one person I know!” Bobby growled at him. “Why didn’t you go talk to him?”

“I don’t think he would have wanted to see me. Not after what I said when he left. Even Dean wouldn’t stay with me after a few months.”

“You know this obsession you have wanting to kill the thing that killed your wife is going to be the death of you. You’ve driven your boys away and you’re letting it consume you. You’re missing out on time with your boys that you will never get back.”

“I don’t need a lecture Bobby. I have to do this to keep them safe,” John insisted stubbornly.

They looked toward the other room when a phone started ringing and Bobby got up to answer it. John was glad for the reprieve and sipped on his coffee. After the things he had learned from the demons he had captured, he knew he couldn’t stop looking for the Yellow Eyed Demon and put an end to him. He had to protect his youngest from the demon, and hoped him being out of the game, and in college would keep him safe. He could hear Bobby’s voice talking to someone in his office.

John looked up as Bobby came back into the room.

“That was a friend of mine from Eagle Butte needs some help and I need backup,” he told John.

“I don’t know Bobby, I’ve….”

“Are you working a case right now beside this insane quest for this demon?”

“Well, no, but…”

“John Winchester, you jackass, I’ve not asked for anything from you over the years I’ve known you. You’ve dumped your boys on me endless times and I never said no. Just this once I think you can climb down off your sanctimonious tower and help a fellow hunter. You’re one of the best I know and you’re here right now. So, are you in or out?” Bobby demanded in a harsh voice.

John pinched his lips together in a tight line as he let the words sink in. He knew the code, when a fellow hunter needed help, if you could, you helped them.

“Alright Bobby. I’ll help,” he grunted finally.

“Good, why don’t you go get some sleep and we’ll head out early in the morning. It’s a five-hour drive and with any luck we should be done in a few days. I’ll fill you in on what I know over breakfast in the morning.”

John just nodded and headed to the door to get his bag from his truck. He owed Bobby a lot and knew he couldn’t say no to the hunt. He had helped raise his boys and they thought the world of him. Hell, Bobby was a better father to them than he was. John went up to the spare room and deposited his bag before heading to the bathroom. He paused at the door leading to the room with the twin beds Dean and Sam used when they were here. He looked into the darkened room and prayed he was doing the right thing. With a shake of his head, he stepped into the bathroom to use it before going to bed. John was fighting his inner demons and it made it hard go off track from his mission that he had been following for over twenty years.

Bobby heard John come back in and troop up the stairs and curbed his anger for him because of how he treated his sons. They were more like his troops than sons, and he had threatened him with a shot gun one time because of it. It had been years after that before he laid eyes on the boys again. They were grown and their father’s influence had taken over, at least for the older one. He could still see hope for the younger and him going to college against his Daddy’s harsh rebuke just proved it. He looked down at his cold stew and got up to put it back in the pot to heat again. He stood at the stove and stirred the stew as he started planning out his next moves.

**spn**

John had showered and changed clothes before coming down early the next morning to find Bobby had coffee made and was reading some printed out pages at the table.

“Is that about the case?” he asked going to the coffee pot to pour a cup. He joined him at the table and waited for Bobby to fill him in.

“Yep, this time I already know what we’re hunting. My friend that called for help lives on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation and it’s a tribal curse. We’re going after a Yee Naaldlooshii.”

“And that is…” John trailed off having no idea what Bobby was talking about.

“A skin walker. It’s akin to the werewolf, but the good thing is if it bites you, you don’t turn into a werewolf. Native American translation is _'he goes on all four'_. We’re looking for a witch or shaman that has gained their evil powers by breaking cultural taboo. They use the magical arts to imitate human voices to lure people out of their homes to kill them. They can read people's thoughts and would use hair, nail clippings, or old clothes to attack them with a curse. Josiah, my friend, said some of the people in the tribe have been attacked already.”

“How do we kill it?”

“Silver bullets will slow it down, but it has to be taken out with a ceremonial spear, welded by a warrior not from that tribe. The Yee Naaldlooshii is able to control its own people so that’s where we come in.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad. Does this Josiah know where this thing is?”

“He has an idea. I’ll get us some breakfast and we’ll head out,” Bobby said getting up to go to the fridge. “Eggs and toast okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” John picked up the printed pages and began to read them to familiarize himself with the creature. He could hear Bobby moving around the kitchen rattling pans and mumbling to himself words he couldn’t quite make out. It wasn’t long before he came back to the table with two plates with eggs and toast on them.

“Eat up and we’ll get on the road. Liked to get to Eagle Butte by lunchtime,” Bobby told him.

“Alright,” John replied. He got up and poured another cup of coffee before sitting back down and eating. “Would you like me to drive?”

“Doesn’t matter, figure you got the same weapons as I do. I’ll still take a few extra things though in case we need to do a spell.”

“Fine with me.”

They finished their meal in silence and parted ways to pack a small bag with extra clothes and Bobby checked his weapon’s bag to be sure he had what he needed. He looked over his lore books and grabbed a couple to take with him that might be helpful.

John pulled from the salvage yard and followed Bobby’s directions heading north west toward the reservation. Neither offered to make small talk as John turned on the radio and lowered the volume just to expel the quietness from the cab of the truck.

They stopped one time along the way to fill up and use the restroom. Both grabbed large coffees to drink as they finished the last part of the trip. Traffic was moving good and they arrived in Eagle Butte just before noon. Bobby directed him to a small motel where they got separate rooms and decided to have lunch before going to see Josiah, Bobby’s friend.

John couldn’t help but notice the wary looks from the town folks and figured not many whites came to this part of the state. There were a few he saw in passing but the town was mainly made up of Cheyenne tribe that lived on the reservation. He was polite and quiet knowing better than to insult or offend them. If they were going to be hunting this Yee Naaldlooshii on their land, he didn’t want to incite a riot or anything.

Once they were finished with their meal, Bobby called Josiah and they headed to the outskirts of town where he lived. He was a tribe elder and would be their ticket to hunting on the reservation; otherwise it wouldn’t be looked kindly upon.

John looked over at Bobby when a ringing sounded in one of his pockets. He pulled out his cell and answered it.

“H’llo…” Bobby greeted the caller. “No, I caught a hunt…No I’m fine son…I’m not, got another hunter with me…Yeah, only if we need someone else…You know where the spare key is. Just remember if’n yer break it, you bought it…Don’t know for sure, two or three days at least…Alright, I will, stop yer worrying, I’ve been at this a lot longer than you…” Bobby closed his cell and stowed it away before looking over at John. “’Fore ya ask, yes that was Dean. He needed a place to rest for a bit before looking for another hunt.”

“Did he…Did he sound okay?” John asked cautiously knowing how Bobby felt about how he left it with both of his sons. He was angry at him and thought he was a dumbass and a stubborn jackass.

“He’s Dean, he won’t tell you anything, even if he’s bleeding out. He didn’t say anything about being hurt if that’s what you want to know. Wanted to join me on this hunt, but I said I had someone with me already.”

“Thanks for not telling him you were with me,” John huffed in relief.

“Why should I tell him? He didn’t ask and I saw no need to tell him.”

“Is this the place?” John asked slowing as he came to a cabin sitting back off the road.

“Yeah, turn in there,” Bobby pointed to a driveway that was coming up.

John turned onto the dirt road and slowly made his way up to the front of the cabin. It had a porch that ran the length of the cabin with several homemade chairs and a rocking chair sitting on it. The cabin was weather worn and several panes of glass in a couple of windows were cracked but not completely broken. There wasn’t much grass growing in the yard and small dust clouds kicked up as the wind blew through the yard.

They got out of the truck and John allowed Bobby to take the lead and followed him onto the porch where he waited as Bobby knocked on the door. It wasn’t long before they heard shuffling behind the door, and it was opened by a weathered looking elderly man of undetermined age that looked up at them. Recognition dawned on his face when he squinted his eyes and looked hard at Bobby.

“Bobby Singer, thank you for coming,” he said, his voice rough and soft.

“Hello, Josiah, it has been awhile. Good to see you are looking well,” Bobby greeted him, shaking his hand.

“Come in, come in,” he offered stepping to the side so they could come inside.

The cabin was divided into four rooms, living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. He led them to the living room where they sat on the couch and he sat in an old recliner facing them. Once they were settled, Josiah looked at them with sad eyes as Bobby started talking.

“When did this start up?” Bobby asked.

“I’d say probably three weeks ago, but I didn’t know about it until a week ago. Some of tribe members that live farther out on the reservation have come to the elders for help. There are members missing and others that have become ill for no reason.”

“Do you have any idea who it might be?”

“I am not sure, but it could be one of a couple of loners that lives out in the caves west of town. The clan is uneasy and not sure what to do. If they have become a Yee Naaldlooshii, it will need to be another warrior not of our clan that can kill it.”

“We understand. This is a fellow hunter, John, and a warrior that came with me to help. We should be able to take care of this problem for you.”

“That is good. But first, both of you must be purified by our Shaman and the spear blessed for your use. We can go now, if you like, and prepare you for the ritual. Then you will be ready for the hunt.”

“The sooner the better. We want to stop any more of your people disappearing or becoming ill,” Bobby agreed with him.

“Let me get my jacket and we shall go.” Josiah slowly pushed himself from the recliner and shuffled off toward the bedroom.

Bobby and John got up and went out on the porch to wait for him.

“Exactly what is this purification thing he’s talking about?” John asked.

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, it’s nothing to worry about,” Bobby told him.

They didn’t have to wait long before Josiah came out and locked the door behind him. They walked to John’s truck and Bobby got in the back allowing Josiah to sit in the passenger seat. He shifted their weapon’s bags over to make room and settled back. John backed up and pulled down the driveway taking Josiah’s directions and headed deeper onto the reservation.

They drove for miles through the desert before they began to see signs of life again. Josiah directed him to a small village that was more primitive and more like the older days. John parked on the outskirts of the village and got out, hurrying around to the passenger side to help the elder from the truck. He waited for Bobby to crawl out of the back and they followed Josiah into the village and to the largest structure centered in the village.

“Wait here,” Josiah told them as he paused outside the doorway. He went inside leaving them standing in the hot sun to wait. They moved to the side in the little shade there was and waited for him to return.

It was thirty minutes before Josiah came back out to find them.

“Come, you need to prepare for the sweat lodge,” he told them walking away without looking to see if they were following.

Bobby and John walked behind the elder until they came to a small structure where he pulled back a tanned hide from the doorway, motioning them inside.

“You will need to unclothe, there are blankets on the table. When you are ready, I will be over there.” He let the hide drop back in place, leaving John and Bobby alone.

“Well, no use being bashful,” Bobby shrugged turning to start taking off his jacket and hat.

John turned away and began to do the same. He took a blanket and tossed one to Bobby and took the other to wrap around his waist, clinching it tight so it wouldn’t fall off. He turned and saw Bobby had done the same. He felt uncomfortable not being armed but followed Bobby outside to get this part over with.

Josiah led them to a sweat lodge and held back the hide for them to enter. They went inside and saw four other elderly tribe members sitting around a blazing fire. They sat down in two empty spots and watched as one poured water over the hot coals making steam fill the room. Both began to sweat profusely from the steam and heat.

Another threw herbs on the coals filling the room with an earthly, heavy aroma that they drew into their lungs. The elders began to chant in their native language, in sing song voices, that seemed to hypnotize the two hunters as sweat poured off their bodies in rivers. It seemed like time stood still for the hunters until they were brought out of their trances by one of the elders tapping them on the forehead and pushed the hide out of the way letting in cooler air.

John and Bobby stumbled to their feet and made their way outside, squinting and shielding their eyes from the bright sunlight. One of the elders motioned them to follow and led them to an outside shower stall to wash off. Bobby went first and draped the blanket over a wall before pulling a cord and letting cool water wash over him, slushing away the sweat and dirt. He used the blanket to dry off and wrapped it back around him.

After Bobby stepped out, John took his turn and sighed as the cool water drenched him, cooling off his body and reviving him. He ran his hands over his hair squeezing out what water he could before using his blanket like Bobby did and covered himself before stepping out. He headed to the shack where his clothes were and slipped inside to get dressed. Bobby was slipping on his long-sleeved shirt and stepped out allowing him some privacy. John quickly pulled his clothes on and when out to join him.

“The spear will be prepared for you and directions given to where the Yee Naaldlooshii is hiding out,” Josiah told them. “Come, a meal has been prepared for you.”

“I feel like I’ve lost five pounds,” John whispered.

“Yeah, sweating like that will take it out of you,” Bobby replied.

They were led to an area with tables and benches and a roof with the sides opened. Josiah motioned them to a bench to sit and women brought out bowls of food and drink. John didn’t realize how hungry he was until he got a whiff of the aroma of the food and waited until Josiah and Bobby started eating before digging in himself. He tore off a piece of flat bread and dipped it into the thick broth before taking a huge bite. He washed it down with a slightly bitter tasting ale and listened as Bobby and Josiah talked.

After eating a second helping of the stew and several glasses of ale, John sat back and wiped his mouth, feeling content and full. He looked over at Bobby as he finished his drink and looked his way.

“They should have the weapon ready now,” Josiah told them when he saw they were finished.

Bobby and John got up thanking the women for the meal and went with Josiah back to the central structure and this time went inside. The six elders, seven including Josiah were gathered in a circle and nodded to Josiah as he approached.

“The weapon against our enemy has been crafted and is ready to use,” one spoke as his gaze fell to a spear laying on a fur.

John stepped closer to look at it and saw a spear about four feet long, made of a strong wood that had symbols burned up and down the staff. There were eagle feathers tied to the top near the head that was made of a dull metal honed to a razor-sharp double edge. Something seemed to call to him as he took a step closer and reached down to pick it up.

Bobby put out a hand to stop him, not wanting to offend the elders and stopped when Josiah shook his head no, let him do it. He watched as John gingerly picked up the spear and felt a surge of power race through him making his muscles stiffen suddenly and his eyes glow softly for a moment before it was gone. He looked around not sure what had happened until one of the elders spoke.

“The spear has chosen its warrior to weld it against the Yee Naaldlooshii.”

“What? Me?” John questioned looking surprised as he looked to Bobby and then the spear. “No, really, Bobby’s a better choice than me.”

“The spear knows who should be the user of its power. Once chosen, it cannot be undone.”

“Well, that settles that. Why don’t we get ready to head out and see if we can find where the Yee Naaldlooshii is hold up and plan an ambush to take it out.”

“We need to gear up. We may be out there overnight and should be prepared,” John said hefting the spear feeling the balance and lightness of the weapon. It was like it was made perfectly for him. He went to the truck and got out his pack. He filled two water bottles and strapped a blanket to the bottom. There were extra clips of silver bullets in the pack along with a couple of power bars, first aid kit, flashlight, small tree saw, and silver knife. He strapped a machete to his belt wondering if he took the head off would it kill it, or would it somehow find a way to reattach it.

“You with me John?” Bobby asked breaking his train of thought as he shook his head and looked at him.

“Yeah, I’m good.” John shouldered his pack and waited as Bobby was given a map of where the caves were located.

“We will be praying to the ancestors to protect and guide you on this hunt. May the gods be with you and make your aim true.”

Bobby nodded to his friend and headed out of the village and into the hills nearby. He set a steady pace as they worked their way toward a canyon area that was about four miles away. The sun was sinking toward the horizon, but they still had a number of hours light left to get to the area they needed to search.

**spn**

Neither spoke as they hiked through the small sloped inclines and over the hills until they found the entrance to a canyon that spread out in front of them. The air felt heavy and smothering as they entered the opening, their senses going on high alert, ever watching for an attack. They didn’t know if the Yee Naaldlooshii knew of their presence here or not, but they hoped to catch it off guard and maybe have a quick kill.

John held the spear in a white knuckled grip as he scanned the shadows ahead of them listening for any disturbances nearby. He caught the sound of pebbles trickling down a small hill and held up his hand for Bobby to stop. They froze, barely breathing, and listened for additional sounds but didn’t hear anything. After a couple of minutes, they moved forward cautiously in the narrow canyon, until it widened out and they could see the black openings of cave mouths up the slopes above them.

John used hand signals telling Bobby they would approach the openings from the side and start their search. He nodded his understanding and moved to where he would be approaching the first cave from the left and John from the right. They pulled out flashlights and clicked them on before cautiously stepping into the shadows of the cave. The lights barely pierced the darkness as they ventured deeper looking for any signs of the Yee Naaldlooshii’s lair. John moved his light back and forth along the sandy floor looking for tracks of any kind but didn’t see any. He hoped Bobby wouldn’t notice the slight waver if the light as he fought to keep his hand from trembling.

“It’s not in here,” John whispered to Bobby.

“Let’s check the next one, I have a feeling it’s here somewhere. I can feel it in my bones.”

“Alright, on to the next one.” John led them back out and they made their way down the slopes and to the next cave mouth listening for any sounds from inside.

It was starting to darken around them as the sun got closer to the horizon. They had checked four caves and still not found anything. John was beginning to wonder if the Yee Naaldlooshii was even anywhere around when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He stopped short and tensed as he strained to hear any movement.

Bobby saw John’s body language change and felt it too. He scanned the area around them as he pulled his gun from the waistband of his jeans holding it out in front of him.

The Yee Naaldlooshii attacked silently from above, jumping from an overhang to knock Bobby to the ground, gnashing and snapping his fanged mouth as Bobby started to roll to protect his neck. The weight on him was suddenly dislodged as John ran at them and kicked out hard sending the skin walker rolling off Bobby.

The Yee Naaldlooshii gained its footing and growled, its long fangs dripping saliva as it stalked John. Bobby had gotten to his feet and retrieved his gun. He unloaded his gun into the large, black fur body making the beast howl in pain and stagger sideways before turning its gaze to the hunter as he ejected the empty clip and grabbed another from his pocket not taking his eyes off the creature that was moving toward him.

John saw his chance and yelled a warrior’s cry as he ran and launched himself at the Yee Naaldlooshii holding the spear in both hands as he drove it deeply into the beast’s side taking it down as he fell on top of it. He could feel the claws of the Yee Naaldlooshii clawing at his body as it howled in agony while John ignored the rippling pain and blood running down his leg. He pulled the spear out and drove it deeply into its chest finding the heart and twisted with all his might shredding it. Blood dripped from the skin walker’s mouth as it began to change shape and the form of a naked man was slowly revealed. John stumbled backward, limping from the gashes on his leg as he panted, still holding the spear ready to use again if needed.

“I think you got it John,” Bobby told him looking down at the now dead skin walker. “You’re bleeding, we should look at those gashes.”

John finally took his eyes off the dead body and looked at Bobby squinting his eyes and blinking quickly several times to clear his vision.

“I’m not the only one,” he replied seeing blood wetting his friend’s shirt.

“Yeah, well, it’s only a scratch. Let me at least get a temporary dressing on your leg and we can get a fire going before it gets completely dark and we can’t see.” 

“There’s some wood back that way we can use, and, in the morning, we can salt and burn it too,” John suggested nudging the skin walker’s corpse with the toe of his boot. “Better safe than sorry as a hunter once told me.” He pulled out a field dressing and allowed Bobby to cinch it around his leg, grimacing in pain.

The hunters moved back toward the entrance to the canyon and found enough dead wood and a place to set up camp for the night. Bobby got a fire going and checked John’s leg injury. He cleaned it and stitched up the gash before letting John check his own wound. He was lucky and only needed butterfly bandages to close the gash. They drank their water and had jerky and a power bar for their dinner. They rolled out their blankets and settled down for the night, adding wood to the fire to keep it going. They would hike out when it was light enough to see, but not before burning the dead body. The spear would be returned to the elders and they would head back to Sioux Falls.

**spn**

John let Bobby drive back since after hiking back to the village his leg was throbbing. They pulled into the salvage yard and to the front of the house to see the Impala parked in front.

“Did you call him?” John asked looking at the car and toward the house.

“No, are you coming in?” he asked in a gruff voice. “Can’t avoid him forever.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be driving for a few days,” John sighed knowing he couldn’t put their meeting off. He got out of the truck and grabbed his bag before limping toward the porch.

Bobby got out and followed him up the steps and unlocked the door so they could go inside. He looked around for the older Winchester son.

“Anyone around?” he called into the house.

“Hey Bobby,” Dean replied stepping into the kitchen doorway. He started to say something else until he saw his father behind Bobby and clamped his mouth shut and frowned.

“Hello Dean,” John greeted him as he limped into the living room.

“Dad, Bobby, was there a problem with the hunt?” Dean asked seeing his Dad limping.

“Just a little injury,” John replied taking a seat at the table. “You’re looking good son, how have you been?”

“I’m fine,” Dean stated without any feelings.

“I went by and saw Sammy a few weeks ago. He looked good,” John offered hoping to maybe make amends with him. He knew Dean still hated him for the huge fight he had with Sam when he announced his desire to go to college.

“Did you talk to him?”

“No, I just wanted to be sure he was doing okay. I doubt he would want to see me,” he said looking down at the table.

“Yeah, you’re probably right since you kicked him out of the family.”

“It’s getting close to dinner time, why don’t you run into town and get us something from the diner?” Bobby told Dean not liking where this conversation was going.

“Sure, why not,” Dean said sarcastically, pushing off from the counter and heading into the living room to find his jacket. He headed out the door without another word.

“Think he will ever forgive me?” John asked after he heard the front door open and close.

“He’s a Winchester. He’s got that stubborn streak, but yeah, he will. Maybe you should suggest he go by and see Sam and actually talk to him if you can’t.”

“Yeah, you may be right Bobby. I’ll try and talk to him after dinner.”

“Good. It’s about time you listened to me. Now, how ‘bout a shot of Jack?”

“I’m good with that.”

Bobby went to the cabinet and got two glasses and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels he had hidden. He poured them both a shot and toasted a successful hunt.

**The End**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Here we are my dear readers, the end of the line, the last letter, the last short story. I hope you have enjoyed this journey and will come back for my next story. I would love to know what letter you liked the best. A couple of my favorites to write were D, M, S and T & U. I enjoyed taking the brothers back to their youth to do a hunt and pairing up different characters. As always, the second part will be posted on Friday and we will put this story to bed. It would make my day to get comments; if you have a moment please leave one. Stay safe wherever you are. NC**

* * *

**Z**

**Part I**

The young woman stood by the bodies draped in white sheets and sobbed quietly begging for it to be a bad dream, for none of this to be real. This was all her fault, if she had not been arguing with her parents, her Dad would have seen the deer running into the road and could have avoided it. But instead, the impact caused the deer's body to smash through the windshield; its antlers piercing her Mom's chest, going through her heart, killing her almost instantly. 

Her Dad's reflexive, panicked jerking of the wheel sent the car into a spin on the wet pavement and over the steep embankment, where the airbag failed to inflate and his head was rocketed forward and then backward with such force, it broke his neck and his chest was crushed into the steering wheel, as the car impacted with the huge trees, killing him in a matter of seconds.

She had survived with only minor injuries and crawled from the car to the road above flagging down help, but it was too late for her parents. She knew without being told that they were dead, and it had been ruled an accident by the local highway patrol that found the body of deer near the car where it had been thrown.

“Miss,” a kind voice spoke to her. “We need to move the bodies, is there some one we can call for you?” the coroner asked laying a warm hand on her cold arm.

“No,” she whispered. “I have no one else.” She watched the techs push the gurneys away and could not accept this was it for them. They were both still young and had a full life ahead of them. An idea started to build in her mind, and she knew what she had to do. “I will need to make the funeral arrangements, but it may take me several days. Will you keep the bodies here until I contact you?”

“Yes, my dear. Take your time and let me know when things are in place. There is no need for autopsies since this was a traffic accident and no other vehicles were involved. I will keep them in storage until you are ready.”

“Thank you, you are too kind.”

Aurora turned to leave, casting her eyes one more time to her parents and whispering in her mind she was going to make this right. She headed back to her one-bedroom apartment and got online to begin her search. A yellow legal pad sat beside it so she could take notes. Aurora was a highly intelligent woman that graduated college at the age of twenty. Her parents helped her rent her apartment when she didn’t want to stay with them any longer. She wanted her freedom to spread her wings and soar.

Upon graduation, she had found a job as a computer software consultant and was loving it. It was like it was in her blood, anything to do with computers came naturally to her. She remembered from one of her classes how the Greeks used necromancy to supposedly bring people back to life and was going to research the ritual and see what it entailed and if she could do it. Her only desire was to bring her parents back to her.

It was hours later that Aurora sat back and rubbed her burning, scratchy eyes and looked at the notes she had taken. She needed to visit the library on campus and find a shop that sold herbs and crystals that she needed for the ritual. It wasn’t as complicated as she expected and knew she could do it. After making a list of what she needed, Aurora grabbed her jacket, wallet, and keys before heading back out. She knew the library stayed open until ten pm and she still had a library card so she could check books out.

Aurora’s car was parked in her designated spot and she climbed into her Toyota Corolla and cranked it to pull out and head across town to the campus. Her college professor touched briefly on necromancy and how it was used, but she intended to delve deeper, as deep as she needed to give her parents a second chance at life.

**spn**

The library parking lot was not very full, and Aurora found a decent space near the front doors. She parked and got out to head inside going directly to a computer terminal. She began typing, looking for books she needed and writing down the call numbers before heading into the racks to find the books. There were several books that were in the reference section and couldn’t be removed from the library. She got a form to fill out requesting certain books thinking making a copy of the pages needed would have to do.

Aurora found a quiet place and began to scan the books taking notes. She lucked out on the fifth book that was an old, tome on black magic that had an entire chapter on necromancy and gave her the information she needed. She was sure no one knew how powerful the book was and made sure no one was looking when she slipped it into her pack. She wasn’t above stealing if it got her what she needed.

After searching the other books, Aurora took them to the return cart and left them. She hurried from the room and snuck out a different exit so not to set off an alarm with the book in her pack. She ran for her car and headed to the business section of Litchfield to find a new age shop and was going to check out an occult shop while there. She was sure between the two of them, she could get what she needed.

Time was not on her side and she wanted to get the ritual done as soon as possible because Aurora knew that her parent’s bodies were decaying and she couldn’t stop that, but hoped when they came back it would stop the process or at least slow it down until she could find a way to reverse it or stop it.

**spn**

The store owner picked up the piece of paper and looked over items on it and looked back up arching an eyebrow at Aurora.

“What are you planning on doing with these things?” she asked skeptically since this wasn’t her usual request from customers.

“Science project,” Aurora shrugged hoping she wasn’t going to ask too many questionings.

The owner gave her a once over before picking up the list and disappearing into the back through a curtained opening.

Aurora looked around at some of the things on display noting voodoo and hoodoo objects, crystals, figurines, all kinds of books, all of it more for tourist than the real practitioners of the dark arts. She was sure the good stuff was kept in back away from prying eyes. She walked around the store as she waited for the owner to return. Aurora picked up some polished stones and turned them in her hand feeling the coldness and smoothness of them. She looked up fifteen minutes later when the owner stepped back out carrying a brown paper bag.

“Did you have everything on the list?” she asked hopefully.

“I did,” she stated. “I don’t know what you are planning, but you need to very careful,” she cautioned Aurora.

“How much do I owe you?”

“Two hundred and thirty-five dollars.”

Aurora pulled out a charge card to pay for the purchases. It was a small price to pay if she could bring her parents back. She waited as the owner ran the card and had her sign the screen. She printed out a receipt for Aurora and dropped it into the bag.

“You shouldn’t be messing with things you know nothing about,” she told Aurora handing her the bag.

“I’ll be fine,” she answered taking the bag and hurrying from the store with it clutched tightly to her chest. Her car was parked several blocks away and she kept her head down and walked down the sidewalk dodging other people. Once Aurora got back to her car, she unlocked the driver’s door and dropped into the seat, letting out the breath she was holding. She had what she needed to perform the ritual, now all she needed was to retrieve the bodies and take them to a private place to do it. She needed a van and could rent one of those.

Her parent’s home had a large basement and would be the perfect place for her to set up and keep them. Once she had it cleaned and furnished, she could bring them there. Her plan was moving on to the next phase and she was getting excited. She was one more step closer.

**spn**

Aurora had cleared out a section of the basement and set up sawhorses for the caskets. She had gone to a funeral home and paid the owner a substantial amount of money to pick up her parents and bring them to their house. They were put in the heavy cardboard caskets that were used for cremation and brought in through the basement door to be left on the sawhorses. She was going to have a fake funeral and bury empty caskets so no one would think anything was suspicious.

After gathering her notes and the tome she had stolen from the library, Aurora set about preparing for the ritual. She took a heavy marker and began to draw the Greek symbols on the inside lid of her mother’s coffin, double checking that she was making them right. She was going to start with her Mom and then once she saw if it worked, bring back her father.

It almost made her sick to stitch the wound on her mother’s chest closed and put a pad over it after reading any wounds sustained during death would not heal and might leak fluids as the body continued to deteriorate. She didn’t like the sound of that and was going to research a way to stop it.

Once the Greek symbols were done and the casket sealed, Aurora took the bag of magical ingredients, sitting up an altar between the caskets. She referred to the tome and the ritual as she began to mix the ingredients in a metal bowl. The last thing she added was her own blood, before tossing a match into it and chanting in Latin the spell.

The flame caught and a burst of fire shot from the bowl as plumes of black rolling smoke started filling the room. Aurora coughed and covered her mouth wondering if she had done something wrong. Without warning, the smoke started swirling and spinning before it found the casket with her mother and was absorbed into it. The flames died and the smoke disappeared, leaving Aurora unsure of what just happened. She didn’t know how long the entire process would take and moved to a chair to sit down. All her energy was drained from her and she felt exhaustion clouding her mind. Aurora couldn’t help it as she nodded off, not able to stay awake any longer.

Aurora jerked awake when she heard crashing and someone crying out in fright. She sprang to her feet and found her mother standing by her casket looking around in shock. Aurora had dressed her in cotton pants and one of her favorite blouses. Her face was pale like she hadn’t seen the sun in a very long time. She looked confused and lost as she looked around the room and over to her daughter.

“Mom?” Aurora called to her moving slowly so not to startle her.

“Aurora, what is happening? Why am I in the basement? And what are these caskets doing here?”

“It’s okay Mom. Why don’t you just sit down over here and rest. I’ll explain everything to you.” Aurora led her mother to a chair and sat her down. She cupped her face in her hands as tears began to roll down her cheek. “Mom, I love you so much,” she cried wrapping her arms around her cold body.

“I love you too dear.”

**spn**

Dean walked into the library to find his brother on his laptop and looked around for Castiel and Jack. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that they had Castiel back because Jack wished it.

“Hey, where’s Castiel and Jack?”

“Castiel took Jack out for a walk in the woods to get him to relax. He thought it would help him with accessing his powers.”

“Alright. What are you doing?”

“I think I’ve found a case,” Sam told him turning his laptop so he could see the article he found.

“How ‘bout giving me the cliff notes?”

“There’s been three deaths in Worthington, Minnesota. All three claimed to have seen a ghost just before their deaths.”

“Worth checking out, I guess.”

“It’s not that far, a little over six hours and when we’re done, we could go by and see Jody and the girls,” Sam offered.

“Yeah, and maybe Jody will invite us for a meal.”

“I knew you wouldn’t pass up a homecooked meal,” Sam laughed. “What about Cas and Jack?”

“They can stay here and…Bond. Besides, it would probably do Cas some good to have a little downtime since he’s just back from the dead.”

“It’ll be like old times, just you and me on a hunt then,” Sam replied. “You know we haven’t had one of those in a while. Maybe this will be like before everything went to crap, a simple salt and burn.”

“Yeah, it’ll be nice. I’ll text Cas and let him know we’re heading out and to stay near the bunker. Is there enough food here for Jack? You know how he eats, and Cas will probably join him.” Dean pulled his cell out and started typing a text to Castiel.

“I just made a food run two days ago; they should be good.”

“Well then, let’s pack, I’ll meet you at the car.”

Sam closed his laptop and packed it away before getting up to head for his room to get ready. It felt good to be working a case with Dean like the old days. Those were simpler times when they didn’t have to deal with super monsters, God, the Darkness, angels falling, the Devil being released, Leviathan, British Men of Letters invasion, discovering alternate worlds, and now, raising the devil’s son. Their lives were so messed up, it would be good to have a simple hunt like they were raised to do.

Twenty minutes later, Dean and Sam were barreling down the interstate toward Worthington, Minnesota. It would be late by the time they got there, so, they would get a room and start working the case the next day.

Sam had pulled up and printed files on everything he could hack into from the locals before they left and was going over it while they still had light to see. He glanced up for a moment listening to the engine roar on the Impala and smiled to himself. The sound never got old and he looked over at his brother as he tapped his fingers to the beat of the music playing on the radio. This was like how it used to be except they were younger, not as scarred and with a lot less burdens to bear on their shoulders. He went back to studying the reports lost in his thoughts as the Impala sped down the roadway.

**spn**

Dean decided to stop at a family run motel at the town limits and sent Sam in to get a room. He waited outside as he watched his brother through the window filling out a card, paying, and getting a room key. He followed Sam around the side of the office building and to a corner room near the exit. It seemed old habits never died, and they fell automatically back into their roles with ease.

“You want the bathroom first?” Sam asked as he sat his bag on the bed away from the door.

“Yeah, it’ll give you more time to do your primping before bed,” Dean teased digging out his bathroom bag and heading into the bathroom.

Sam gave him a bitch face and rolled his eyes at his remark as he got out his own bathroom bag and some cotton pants to sleep in. He looked around for the remote to turn on the television to watch while he waited. He ran across Dr. Sexy, MD and knew Dean would want to watch it so he left it there. Dean was out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later and dropped onto his bed with a happy sigh when he saw what Sam was watching. Sam gathered his things and headed into the bathroom to do his routine so he could go to bed.

The only noise in the room when Sam came out of the bathroom was the low voices coming from the television and the soft snores coming from Dean, who was asleep. Sam was careful as he reached to gently pulled the remote from his hand making him roll over and mumble something in his sleep. Sam froze until he was sure Dean wasn’t going to wake up before stepping back and going to his own bed. He slipped under the covers and settled before turning off the television and the lamp between their beds. He let the even breathing of his brother lull him to sleep.

**spn**

“Wake up,” a male voice called to Sam as his leg was slapped pulling him from a dream and he raised his head to look bleary eyed at his brother. It seemed morning came quicker when they were working.

“’m up,” Sam slurred dropping his head back to the pillow and closing his eyes again.

“Sure, you are,” Dean said sarcastically. He grabbed the covers and gave them a jerk, pulling all them off Sam’s prone body, making him whine and reach around searching for them. “Do I have to pull out the cold water?” Dean threatened.

“Okay! Okay,” Sam insisted pushing his body to a sitting position and swinging his legs to the side. He sat on the side of the bed and looked over at his brother who was dressed and moving around the room.

“Get your suit on so we can get breakfast and visit the locals,” Dean told him glancing his way to be sure he was actually awake.

“Riiii-tttt…” Sam yawned, and he stretched his arms out and rolled his shoulders.

“Gee, like looking at the Grand Canyon,” Dean noted watching Sam yawn widely.

“Jerk,” Sam mumbled getting up to grab his suit bag and make his way to the bathroom.

“Don’t take all day in there, bitch,” Dean told him.

Sam pushed the door shut with his butt and turned on the water to get a quick shower. He checked his face trying to decide if he needed to shave or if he could get by another day. He ran his hand over his jaw and thought he could wait another day. He dropped his clothes on the floor and stepped under the hot spray, letting it beat on his head and wet his hair. He knew Dean would have a cow if he didn’t speed it up and didn’t take the time to enjoy the shower. He quickly shampooed his hair and soaped his body before rinsing. He shut the water off and grabbed a towel to dry off. He put on his clothes and dried his hair with the towel before running his fingers through it. He took one more look at his reflection before picking up his clothes and opening the door.

“’bout time,” Dean commented. He grabbed the room key and car keys before heading to the door not checking to see if Sam was following.

Sam huffed at him and dropped his clothes on his duffle before finding his boots and putting them on. He adjusted his suit jacket and hurried out after his brother hoping he wasn’t getting left behind. He found Dean waiting with the car running as he barely got the door closed before he pulled out. He didn’t say anything sensing Dean was starting to get into the hunt. It was feeling like old times.

**spn**

After breakfast at the diner down the street, they went in search of the local sheriff department to see if they had additional information on the cases. Dean pulled into the parking lot and into a visitor’s space, stopping the Impala, then cutting the engine. They got out and headed for the entrance.

It was set up like most stations they had been in over the years with a front desk and deputy manning it. They stopped at the desk and waited for him to look up and acknowledge them.

“Yes, can I help you?” the deputy asked.

“FBI, Agents Wilson and Platte. We’d like to see your sheriff.” Dean replied flashing his badge as Sam did the same.

The deputy looked them up and down for a moment before picking up his phone and pressing a couple of buttons. He mumbled some words and listened before hanging up.

“You can have a seat; the sheriff will be out in a moment.”

“Thanks,” Sam nodded looking and seeing the plastic chairs against one wall. He moved with Dean to take a seat and wait for the sheriff.

Ten minutes later, an older, gray haired man in uniform stepped from a door behind the desk and stepped to the brothers.

“Good morning, I’m Sheriff Watson, how can I help the FBI?”

“Agents Wilson and Platte. Can we talk somewhere private?” Dean asked glancing at the deputy who was not hiding he was listening to them.

“Of course, we can talk in my office. If you’ll follow me,” he told them leading the brothers through the door and to the squad room. There was a corner office to the back that he led them to, motioning to two chairs in front of his desk as he moved around it to sit down.

“My partner and I were sent to help with the investigation on the recent murders you’ve had in your town,” Dean told him.

“Funny, I don’t remember asking for any help with that.”

“We just go where our boss sends us,” Sam shrugged. “He doesn’t like being questioned about his orders.”

“Well, you’re here, maybe you can shed some new light on the cases,” he sighed sitting back in his desk chair. “I gotta tell you this one is a strange one. I have statements from one spouse and friends of another victim that said they were being haunted. It seems something was following them just before their deaths.”

Dean and Sam looked at each other for a moment, silently communicating.

“Was there anything else odd about cases?” Sam asked.

“We couldn’t find any evidence of the killer. No DNA, no fingerprints, no hairs, no murder weapon. My CSI guys are at a lost to what could have killed them.”

“Could we get copies of your reports and interviews?” Sam asked. “We may want to follow up with the witnesses.”

“Of course, I’ll have one of my deputies get that for you.”

“If you want to put it on a flash drive will be fine.”

“Alright, better get Sally to do it. She’s more computer savvy than some of the others are.” He picked up his desk phone and press a couple of buttons before talking with they assumed was Sally.

“Are there any connections with the victims?” Dean asked.

“Well, they knew each other by sight, it is a small town. But they weren’t best friends or anything.”

“We’ll need to see the bodies too.”

“Morgues in the basement hospital. I call Doc Roberts and let him know you’ll be stopping by. If you do find out more details on anything, I expect you will let me know.”

“We will and if you learn more, here’s my card with my number,” Sam replied pulling a card from his pocket and giving to the sheriff.

“Alright,” he said looking at the card for a moment before placing it on his desk.

“Which way to the hospital Sheriff?” Dean asked seeing their conversation was over.

“Take a right out of the parking lot, go through two stop lights and turn left. You’ll see it on the right about four miles down that street.”

“Thanks, should we wait out front for the records?”

“That’ll be fine, I’ll have Sally bring the drive out to you. You agents have a nice day.”

“You do the same Sheriff.”

Dean and Sam stood and shook the sheriff’s hand before letting themselves out of his office. They headed to the door leading to the front to wait. It wasn’t long before a woman in uniform stepped out and glanced at them, before smiling.

“Hi, I’m Sally, here’s what you wanted,” she told them holding out the drive.

“Thank you Sally,” Dean purred giving her his best smile. “Maybe I’ll be seeing you around.”

“You never know,” she replied arching an eyebrow as she looked him over.

Sam nodded to her and took the drive, giving his brother a slight push toward the door. Now wasn’t the time for Dean to be hooking up while they were still working the case. Dean frowned at him but headed out the door with Sam close behind him.

“What’s the rush?” Dean complained as he headed for the car.

“You can hook up later Dean. Right now, we need to go see the bodies and try to find the witnesses to talk to so maybe, we know what we’re hunting.”

“Spoil sport,” Dean grunted at him as he dropped into the driver’s seat.

“You remember the directions the sheriff gave for the hospital?” Sam asked as he grabbed his computer bag from the back. He took out his laptop and opened it, letting it boot up. Once the flash drive was plugged in, he brought up the reports and scanned through them to find the names of the witnesses, writing them down along with addresses and phone numbers.

“Yep,” Dean replied pulling out and turning right onto the street. He followed the directions and pulled on the road the hospital was on. He followed the signs around to the side of the building and found the back entrance. Once he found a parking spot, they got out and headed inside to find the morgue.

“After this, we can track down these witnesses and see if we can get more info about the hauntings.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Dean nodded as they walked down the hall in search of the morgue.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: This is it, the end of the journey. Thank you for hanging in there through all the letters. Comments would make my day. NC**

* * *

**Z**

**Part II**

The brothers walked down the hallway and turned the corner seeing a sign stating the morgue was farther down the hall. Dean stopped at the double doors and pushed one open to step through it into a room that was colder than the hallway. A slight chill went up his back and he shook it off feeling his brother’s body close by him.

The room was brightly lit with florescence lights that made them squint for a moment. The room smelled of the death, harsh cleaning solutions, and coldness. There were three empty stainless steel tables sitting slightly off center of the room, two desks, filing cabinets and two other doors leading out of the room. On the far wall were the cubicles set into the wall for the bodies that were brought here.

“Hello,” Dean called looking around for the coroner, Doc Roberts, the sheriff had called him.

One of the doors opened and a salt and pepper haired man stepped through one of them. He looked to the brothers for a moment before moving closer.

“You must be the FBI that the sheriff called about. I’m Doc Roberts.”

“We are, Agent Wilson and Platte. We’d like to see the recent murder victims,” Dean replied.

“Of course, if you’ll step this way.” The doctor walked across to the cubicles and looked at the tags before pulling three out.

Sam looked around and found gloves and handed a pair to Dean as he slipped on some. “Could we get a copy of your autopsy reports?” Sam asked.

“Alright, I’ll get them while you look at the bodies.”

Dean waited for him to walk away before pulling down the white sheet from the first body. It was a middle-aged man of slight build. They saw right away that his head didn’t set right on his body. Dean reached to move his head and realized his neck had been viciously snapped.

“It looks like it was almost torn from his body,” Sam whispered.

“Someone had to be strong to do that,” Dean noted.

Sam moved to the next body and pulled the sheet down to see another younger man that had his throat deeply cut. The ragged edge was raw and bloodless, but the rest of his body showed no signs of trauma. Sam checked his hands and saw no signs of defensive wounds on either one. He hadn’t put up a struggle that he could tell.

Dean went to the last body and uncovered it to find a middle-aged woman with a wound to her chest that looked like a knife or some sharp object. Like the others there were no other injuries on her body.

“Do you see any other marks on their bodies?”

“No, it’s like they didn’t fight back.”

“Here you go gentlemen, my reports,” Doc Roberts said. He held out a file to Sam who took off his gloves and took it.

“Thank you,” Sam replied.

“We’ve seen enough, thanks Doc,” Dean told him. He popped off the gloves and tossed them before nodding to the coroner and turning to leave. He headed out the doors with Sam close behind.

Once they were outside in the parking lot of the hospital, Dean spoke again, “I think we need to visit this Aurora Chambers.”

“You thinking maybe a vengeful spirit?”

“Don’t know, who’s the first witness to check out?”

“The wife of the first victim, Nora Phillips. She lives about fifteen miles from here,” Sam said looking at his notes. “You can loop around the town and not have to go through it.”

“Just tell me where to turn,” Dean told him cranking the Impala and getting back out on the main road. He followed Sam’s directions and twenty-five minutes later pulled into a nice housing development.

“The house number is 1246,” Sam told him checking the mailboxes as Dean drove slowly down the street. “There up ahead,” he pointed to a two-story house with a circular driveway.

Dean pulled up the drive and parked. They got out and walked up the walkway to the front door. Sam rang the bell and stepped back waiting for someone to come to the door. Sam looked down at a young boy who looked around five peeking around the door and starting up at them.

“Hi, is your Momma home?” he asked giving him a warm smile.

“Troy, I’ve told you about answering the door,” a middle-aged woman said.

“Mrs. Phillips, we’re with the FBI and would like to talk you about…” Dean started looking down at the boy listening before continuing. “Your husband.”

“Troy, honey, go play in your room, okay?” she told her son before turning back to the brothers. “Come in.” Mrs. Phillips led them into a family room and motioning them to the couch, while she sat in a chair across from them.

“We’re sorry for your loss. I know this must be hard, but if you could answer a few questions for us,” Sam told her gently.

“Sure, but I don’t know what else I can tell you that I’ve not already told the sheriff,” she replied wiping at her eyes that were red rimmed from crying.

“The police report mentions you said your husband thought he was being haunted,” Dean started. “What did you mean by that?”

“I’m not sure, Stan got really paranoid right before…He told me one of his co-workers was stalking him.”

“And who was that?” Sam asked.

“Sylvia Chambers, but that can’t be right. She died in a car crash along with her husband less than a month ago. We went to the funeral.”

“Did Sylvia have a grudge against Stan or anything?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know, Stan didn’t really talk about work when he was home. He wanted to enjoy the time with us and not deal with it.”

“Where did your husband work?”

“One of the accounting firms in town, Hooper, Walker and Associates.”

“Mommy, I’m hungry,” a small voice said from the doorway.

“If there’s nothing else, I need to fix Troy’s lunch,” she said getting up.

“That should do it, thank you and again, we’re sorry for your loss,” Sam told her as they got up to leave.

“Guess we need to go visit this accounting firm,” Dean noted once they were in the car.

“Why don’t we split up and I’ll see what I can find on this Sylvia Chambers and if she had any connection with the other two victims. I’ll go over the rest of the reports and see if anything stands out. You can check out the accounting firm and the other witness. We can meet back up for lunch to compare notes?” Sam suggested tearing the address from him notepad.

“Fine with me.”

“Drop me at the motel. I can take a bus back into town to meet you.”

**spn**

Sam got off the bus and looked around getting his bearing and headed down the street. He was in luck and the diner Dean picked to eat at was only a block away. The air was cool, but not uncomfortable and Sam window shopped as he walked toward his destination.

It wasn’t hard to find his brother, who had gotten a booth away from most of the other customers and slid in across from him. He ordered a sweet tea from the waitress and picked up the menu to look at. They placed their orders and after the waitress left began to compare notes.

“Me first,” Dean said. “Seems like Sylvia blamed good old Stan for stealing one of her ideas and he got a promotion out of it. Her co-workers said she wanted to kill him for doing that. And the female victim, she may have been having an affair with Sylvia’s husband, but no one could confirm it. That’s two out of three. It’s looking more like a vengeful spirit here.”

“Sylvia and Mark Chambers and their daughter Aurora where in a car accident about a month ago. Seems a deer ran out into the road and when they hit it, it went through the windshield. Sylvia was impaled by the antlers and her husband was killed when he lost control of the vehicle on the wet road and went over an embankment. The daughter only received minor injuries and had to crawl out and up the embankment to get help. She blames herself for the accident because they were fighting when it happened.”

“About what?”

“Aurora’s ex-boyfriend. He cheated on her and was trying to get her back. The ex-boyfriend was the third victim.”

“I think we need to pay this Aurora chick a visit. See if she’s seen Mommy dearest around lately,” Dean commented dryly. He dropped the conversation when the waitress came back with their food.

They set about eating and deciding how to proceed with the case. After finishing the meal and paying, they headed out to the Impala and to go interview the daughter. Sam gave Dean directions to where she worked figuring she would be there. The business was in a large office complex on the opposite side of town.

“How are we going to approach this?” Sam asked getting out of the car. “We can’t just ask her if she’s seen the ghost of her dead mother.”

“Let’s just play it by ear. See what she says about her mother’s connection to the victims.”

“Alright.”

They went into the building and found the business. Dean asked the receptionist to speak with Aurora Chambers. She placed a call and they waited nearby, checking the place out. It wasn’t long before an attractive, young woman came out to greet them.

“Hello, I’m Aurora Chambers, how can I help you?” she asked eyeing the brothers warily.

“Ms. Chamber, I’m Agent Wilson and this is Agent Platte. Is there somewhere we could talk?” Dean asked her.

“Of course, we can use a meeting room. It’s just down this way.” She led them down a hallway and into a small room with a table and chairs surrounding it. There was a white board on one wall and a podium in front of it. One wall was glass windows that made the room very bright.

“How can I help you?” she asked taking a seat and clutching her hands on the table. She quickly dropped them to her lap as she looked at the brothers, fear in her eyes.

Dean and Sam sat near her and studied her nervous behavior.

“We’re sorry to hear about your parents, Ms. Chambers,” Sam started. “I know the loss must be devastating to you.”

“It was,” she said looking down at her clasped hands in her lap. “To lose them both at the same time was very hard.”

“Ms. Chambers, I’m sure you’ve heard of the latest murders in the past couple of weeks,” Dean said. “Did you know any of the victims?”

“Well, one worked with my Mom. I had met him once or twice when I went to see my Mom at her work. I didn’t really know him. I don’t know the woman, but…” she trailed off looking down at the floor like she was trying to gather her words. She was shaking and stumbling over her words as she tried to talk. She couldn’t look them in the eyes and kept licking her lips and clearing her throat.

“But what?” Sam asked gently, giving her an encouraging smile.

“The third one was my ex-boyfriend. We had been dating for several months and I broke it off with him when I found out he was cheating on me. He had been trying to get me to take him back.”

“Your mother’s co-worker, Stan, did you know he claims to have seen your Mom right before his death? He said she was haunting him.”

“No! No! That’s not true,” she gasped it shock. “It couldn’t be; my parents are buried in the cemetery. I was there!” she insisted. Aurora’s breathing became erratic and she started to panic. “I can’t, no….” she cried rushing from the room, leaving them sitting at the table.

“Seems to me she’s got something she’s hiding,” Dean surmised.

“Yeah, she was far too upset,” Sam agreed.

“Guess we’re visiting a cemetery tonight,” Dean sighed getting up to head out since it didn’t look like Ms. Chambers was coming back. “Looks like a salt and burn the bones deal.”

“You do know the mother’s only been dead less than a month.”

“So?”

“There won’t be any bones to burn. There’ll be a stinking, decaying corpse in the coffin.”

“So, we wear nose plugs,” Dean shrugged.

Sam rolled his eyes and stared in disbelief at his brother wondering how he came up with these things. He got in the Impala and they headed back to the motel to change and find the cemetery where Sylvia Chambers was buried. He didn’t like to disturb the dead, but in their line of work, it had to happen.

**spn**

Sam’s shoulders ached as he threw another shovel full of dirt from the grave they were digging up. He heard Dean grunt and mutter under his breath wishing there was an easier way of doing this. They were covered in sweat and their bodies were sore from the digging. Sam kept a watchful eye out for Sylvia’s spirit, knowing she wasn’t going to like being dug up. He was surprised when she hadn’t appeared by the time they got to the coffin.

“Do the honors,” Dean said. He stepped back so Sam could open the coffin.

Using the shovel, Sam broke the lock on the coffin and took in a deep breath before opening it to reveal an empty coffin.

“So, where the hell is the body?” Dean questioned when he shone his light inside of it.

“Beats me. I don’t think this is a vengeful spirit.”

“What’s with the weird writing?” Dean asked letting his light play over the inside lid of the coffin.

Sam grabbed it and bent down to get a closer look.

“Hey!” Dean fussed.

“We’ve seen this before,” Sam said slowly. His brain started to pull up old memories and flip through them, finally stopping on one. “Remember the college guy who brought the girl he was in love with back to life with necromancy?”

Dean leaned back, wiping his face as he thought of all the hunts they had gone on, trying to bring that memory back.

“You know, we went to visit Mom’s grave, at least I did. It was after Dad died.”

“Yeah, he was a TA for some guy who taught Greek crap. Dude, are we dealing with a zombie again?”

“This is Greek writing and I think it’s the spell to communicate with the dead. If whoever did this has the ritual to bring the dead to life….”

“And the prime suspect is the daughter. Who else would want to do it?”

“Maybe that’s why she was so upset when we interviewed her. I think she’s losing control of her Mom and she’s killing people who wronged her or her daughter.”

“Guess we need to go pay Ms. Chambers a little visit in the morning.”

“At least we know the easiest way to kill a zombie, take off the head,” Sam said. He closed the coffin and jumped out of the grave. “Should we leave this open to put the body back?”

“You think anyone will notice?”

“It does seem in a less used location. Maybe we can chance it.”

“I need a beer and a hot shower,” Dean groaned. “You know I’m getting to old to be digging graves.”

“I know the feeling.”

The brothers headed back to the Impala with plans on confronting Aurora the next day and find out where her mother was. They needed to stop her from killing anyone else or killing Aurora in a fit of rage. Zombies can appear normal and act normal, but it doesn’t last for long.

**spn**

The Chamber’s home was set back from the road and was hidden from the neighbors by a six-foot fence on one side and a row of trees on the other. Dean parked the Impala on the street, and they walked up the driveway to the house. It was a nice two story, brick home with manicured lawn. Sam glanced at the flower beds around the porch and the flowers hanging from the ceiling.

“Look,” he told Dean, pointing the dead plants. “She’s here.”

Dean knocked loudly on the door but didn’t get a response. He tried again and when no one came to the door, he motioned Sam to follow. He led them around the house to the back, looking for another way in.

“Over here, basement door,” Sam whispered. He bent down and used his lock picks to get the door open. They slipped inside and gagged as the smell hit them. “What the hell,” Sam coughed as he covered his mouth.

Dean moved deeper into the room and flipped a switch on the wall turning on the lights.

“I think we found Daddy dearest,” Dean offered moving to a cardboard box coffin. He looked to the other empty one and found more Greek writing and picked up the tome from a table. “Found the spell.”

“So, why bring Mom back and not Dad?” Sam asked as he covered his mouth with his arm.

“Maybe Mommy didn’t want her cheating husband to come back,” Dean speculated. “Let’s see if she’s home.” He headed for the stairs that lead to the upper part of the house. If they were lucky, it wouldn’t be locked. Dean pulled out his machete as he slowly turned the knob on the door and opened it a crack to look out before stepping into a laundry room.

Sam followed behind him, glad to have some fresh air after the stink. He had his machete out and looked around as they made their way into the kitchen, ever wary of any noises around them. Dean stepped into a hallway and was moving down it when he heard locks being disengaged at the front door. He quickly stepped behind the door and waited as the last one was opened, and Aurora stepped inside carry a bag. He grabbed her clamping a hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t scream. She dropped her bag and tried to struggle but stopped when she saw the machete.

“We’re not here to hurt you,” Sam said quickly when he saw the panicked look in her eyes.

“Where’s your Mom?” Dean asked as he slowly took his hand away from her mouth.

“My Mom dead,” she cried.

“Yeah, we know that, and we saw your little altar downstairs and dear old Daddy. You’ve been messing with crap that you shouldn’t be. That’s not your Mom you brought back, and I think you know it.”

“What you did was wrong Aurora,” Sam told her. “That thing is dangerous and is a killer and she won’t stop unless we stop her.”

“I-I-I couldn’t let it end like that. I needed her back….” she sobbed.

“Where is she?” Dean asked again with a harsh voice.

“No!” a female voice screeched behind Sam. Sylvia ran from a room near Sam and struck him, knocking him to the floor before he could react. She was on him, screaming and clawing at him as he tried to defend himself. Her face was contorted into a vicious, crazy monster and her blouse was wet and stinking from the decay coming from her chest wound.

Dean wasted no time shoving Aurora away and coming to his brother’s aid. He raised his machete and with a strong, steady swing took off her head.

“Sammy?” he questioned as the body fell limply onto him and the head rolled away from him.

Aurora screamed and crumbled to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. She wrapped her arms around her body and gasped for breaths as she rocked back and forth.

Dean pushed the body off Sam and held out his hand to help him up. He gripped his arm to hold him still as he looked him over. He had scratches on the side of his face and neck but didn’t seem to be too badly hurt.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, got the wind knocked out of me,” he wheezed, wincing as he drew in breaths of air. “A few scratches and bump on the head. I’ll live.”

Dean looked down at the body and the head and over to Aurora who was making weird noises as she rocked her body back and forth with a vacant look in her eyes.

“Guess we need to get this cleaned up and her taken care of,” he sighed.

“We can put the body downstairs until tonight and take it back to the cemetery.”

“Yeah, we’ll need to plant Pop too and get him out of the house. They’re never going to get the smell out of that basement.”

Sam helped Dean carry Sylvia’s body to the basement and left her in the coffin. They went back upstairs, and Sam found a bathroom to clean the smelly crap off his clothes and check the scratches, while Dean got Aurora up and took her to the kitchen. He sat her in a chair and looked through the cabinets until he found a bottle of whiskey.

“Here drink this,” Dean told her putting a glass in her hand. When she didn’t respond, he lifted the glass to her mouth and tilted it enough to get her to drink it. She started coughing as the whiskey burned her throat. “Sip the rest of it, you need it.”

He poured two shots into another glass and gulped half of it in one swallow as he watched Aurora take a small sip of her drink. Her body was trembling, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Look, I know this is a lot, but you know I did the right thing. She was not your Mom; not the Mom you remember. It would not have been long before you said something or did something to make her mad and she would have killed you too.”

“How is she?” Sam asked coming back into the room drying his hands on a towel.

“In shock. She had to see her Mom get killed again.”

“Right,”

“Here, drink,” Dean ordered as he handed him a glass with a shot of whiskey.

“We can’t leave her alone like this,” Sam said.

“Look, you stay here with her and I’ll head back to the motel and get our things. Once we take care of the bodies tonight, we’ll head back to the bunker.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Dean headed to the front door and left Sam to take care of Aurora.

“Why don’t we go into the living room and you lay down on the couch?” Sam offered getting up and helping Aurora to stand. He could feel her trembling body against his as he guided them into the other room. Once he had her laying down on the couch, he grabbed a throw and covered her. Sam knew there wasn’t anything he could say to make her feel better and sat down in a chair nearby to watch over her. He could hear her soft sobs and knew this was something it would take her a long time to get over.

They had lost so many family and friends over the years and it never got easier or hurt any less. He gently touched one of the scratches that was burning and grimaced in pain. When Dean got back, he was going to get the first aid kit and put some antibiotics on them. He had washed them with soap and water to try and clean them but wasn’t going to take any chances of them getting infected. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, letting his body relax now that the hunt was over.

It felt good to work a case and kill the monster in the end. It felt good to be with his brother doing it, just like old times.

**The End**


End file.
